Starting Anew
by lowkeying
Summary: Lily Potter née Evans is given a chance to relive her life in the form of a modified Time-Turner, the only difference being that she has the memories of her previous life intact. Determined to prevent the people she loves from meeting their untimely ends as she remembered, Lily sets on a path to make the world as she knows it a better place for all. NON-CANON AND (LITERALLY) AU
1. Going Back

It was Hallowe'en, and Lily couldn't be happier.

An affectionate smile graced her lips as she watched her husband of 2 years interact with her baby of one-year-old exactly. It was just after dinner, and they had left the dining room in favour of Harry's bedroom. Harry much resembled James, and anyone who had met the little tyke would remark that he indeed was his father's son, in both mannerisms and appearance, except his green, almond-shaped eyes that were plain as day his mother's. Loud peals of laughter rang out from the infant as James made a face at him over the edge of his crib.

"You're the best little boy, aren't you, Harry? You're going to grow up to be just like me, your father," James cooed at his son, ruffling the latter's black hair, which already started to resemble the sizeable messy mop on James' head. This elicited happy gurgles from Harry, and he raised his chubby arms to grab at his father's hair in retaliation.

James shrieked as Harry's little fist closed over a chunk of James' hair and tugged, hard, yanking his head towards the side of the crib. Lily barely had time to react before a loud thunk reached her ears. Harry giggled gleefully at the shock evident on both his parents' faces, looking extremely pleased with himself.

"Did Harry just do what I think he did?" Lily asked weakly, glancing at her equally astonished husband. All was silent for a second before James let out a hearty guffaw, lifting Harry out of his crib to kiss him excitedly, yelling something along the lines of Harry growing up to be a real prankster. Shaking her head in disapproval, Lily couldn't hide the fond grin from taking over her face. Despite the many times she stopped James and his Mauraders from teaching Harry their childish ways, it seemed that she had not been successful in her efforts to prevent her child from being the horror that James was in school.

Her face darkened almost instantly at the thought of her son attending school. That was, of course, if they managed to get out of this war alive and unscathed.

"Lils? C'mon, let's have some family bonding time," James called, shaking her out of her thoughts. Harry, too, was looking at her expectantly, as if to say What are you waiting for? Come on!

"Okay, okay," she acquiesced, making her way from her spot near the window. She hoisted Harry from James' arms, putting one hand on his back and the other near his bum to stabilise him. Lily met James' eyes, feeling warmth surge in her at the sheer amount of adoration in those beautiful, beautiful hazel eyes she had grown to love. Sending him one of her trademark Lily smiles, she received one back, before James' arms slid around her waist and held both her and Harry close to him.

No words could describe the loving atmosphere that surrounded them. Lily was sure it was the happiest she had ever been in a while, especially with the war raging on around them.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from the first floor of their house, and James and Lily both turned to face each other with unadulterated terror on their faces. She could literally sense it. Since the wards were tied to her and James, they knew when someone unexpected had shown up by merely feeling for the wards and feeling their magic intrude into their house. This time, the magic that she had felt was so evil, she instinctively shuddered. There was only one person, or entity, who could possess such a Dark and malevolent aura...

Voldemort.

In a second, all her worst fears had come true.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!" James roared over the sounds of the heavy storm. Springing into action, Lily barely had time to consider what it meant if James really went to face You-Know-Who head on. She pressed Harry close to her as she slammed the door behind James, casting a series of complex spells and enchantments to lock out You-Know-Who, her only thought to protect her son and get Harry the hell out of there. The charms weren't guaranteed to keep the monster out, but Lily hoped it would stall him and buy some precious time for their escape.

" _Avada kedavra_!" the high, indifferent voice shouted, and Lily could literally feel the thump of a heavy object hitting the ground. At that moment, a part of her withered away instantly as the marriage bond between James and her dissolved into thin air. It was then she knew that James had indeed, really left her, and although it almost killed her on the inside to leave him behind and escape, she steeled her nerves, promising herself that she would come back to get him when all of this was over.

She'd come back for him if she didn't join him already.

Tears blurred the vision as she grabbed her wand so tight her knuckles turned white, spinning herself around as she prepared for the familiar discomfort of Apparition to overtake her.

It never did.

"No, please, no," she gasped as she still stayed in the same place, the only difference being slight dizziness at having rotated too fast. Harry, picking up on his mother's mood, started to wail noisily just as the door banged loudly, startling Lily so much she stumbled over her own feet and landed on the floor. One hand held herself up against the wooden floor while the other cradled Harry to her sobbing form.

Quickly getting up from her fall, she placed Harry in the crib, before whispering tearfully, "Harry, be safe. Be strong."

The door banged louder, and Harry screamed at the top of his lungs, his tears leaving twin trails streaming down his red cheeks. Lily understood his agitation; she felt it too. Pressing her forehead forlornly against the wooden side of the crib, Lily felt all hope leave her.

With the loudest bang of all, the door burst open with great force. In the doorway stood a dark cloaked figure, the face the only thing that was visible of its figure and startlingly pale. She'd heard how horrifying it looked, but nothing compared to seeing it in the flesh. Slit-like nostrils for a nose were placed squarely in the middle of the deathly pale face, with red, snake-like pupils directly above it. You-Know-Who regarded her with a sort of triumphant glee, before moving forward, into the room.

"Please no, no, kill me, don't kill Harry! Please!" Lily Potter pleaded, instantly shooting to her feet so that she protected her son with her body, shielding him from the monster that was staring down at her with casual indifference. James was already dead, she thought, and now, Harry? Tears ran down her face as she dropped to her knees, pleading for her life and her son's. Voldemort stood, wand raised, in front of her sobbing form and blasted her out the way.

"Foolish, meddlesome girl. If Severus had not pleaded with me to spare your life, you would've been dead by now. Now out the way!" Voldemort said to her in his high, cold voice.

"NO! PLEASE! Not Harry, not Harry!" she screamed, feeling her back collide with the hard wall of Harry's nursery. Pain shot up her spine, temporarily immobilising her before she crawled towards her son. Harry, momentarily taken aback by his mother flying across the room, gaped in curiosity at the stranger, before bursting out crying again, longing for the safety of his mother's arms.

"Quiet! Silencio!" Lily felt herself being silenced as she cried silently. Gasping in pain and shock, she clutched at herself and attempted to break through it windlessly when she realised he had put up a ward to keep her away. Hearing her son's sobs and not being able to touch him was torture for Lily.

She clutched at the collar of her own shirt, gasping when suddenly, her hand touched a cold, metallic and rounded surface. Clutching the thing in her hands, she raised it up and saw a sapphire Time-Turner through tear-filled eyes.

 _"Professor, what is this? A Time-Turner?" A 20-year-old Lily asked the older woman before her, confused. McGonagall had handed her a sapphire Time-Turner, its surface was glinting in the light as Lily held it up to inspect it._

 _"Surely a witch as knowledgeable as you know what it is?" McGonagall raised an eyebrow and looked at Lily expectantly. When Lily shook her head, McGonagall sighed and explained, "It's a Time-Turner, obviously, but instead of only being able to go back a few hours, you can go back a few years, decades even. A turn is a year, Miss Ev- Mrs Potter."_

 _"But... but what use would it make?"_

 _"If He-who-Must-Not-Be-Named finds you and James, quickly turn the Time-Turner to go back to when you were a child here at Hogwarts," Minerva told Lily, whose face was still scrunched up in confusion._

 _"But you don't go back to your own body, Profess- I mean, Minerva, you-"_

 _"Yes, Mrs Potter. I have enchanted this Time-Turner to send you back to your body you had at the age you sent yourself back to. It was no easy task," McGonagall explained_

 _"Time is a loop, Minerva, that was what you said to me," Lily countered, her brows furrowed as she tried to work it out._

 _"But not for this, because this Time-Turner sends you to an alternate universe with the help of a mega-wormhole in space. If you're wondering how I got it, I followed Albus to a Wizengamot meeting one day and found myself in the Department of Mysteries. I stumbled across a whole room of Time-Turners and took this back with me," Minerva sighed as Lily stared at her in open-mouthed shock._

 _"You stole a Time-Turner from the Department of Mysteries?! Minerva, surely you realise you could be sent to Azkaban!" Lily usually didn't talk to McGonagall like that, but she was shocked and in serious disbelief. Was her favourite professor really handing her a priceless Time-Turner? What for?_

 _"Yes, Lily, you will change history. Rewrite it. Make sure that monster never finds you and your family. That you and James and your child will never be put in danger," Minerva explained._

 _"But... why?" Lily whispered, her mind flashing to her countless other friends who needed this much, much more than she did. Marlene McKinnon, one of her best friends, died in a Death Eater attack on her and her family last week. Frank and Alice Longbottom, two decent friends of hers, had been tortured to the point of insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange. Why her, and not them?_

 _"I... I'm just tired of my students leaving me one by one... I'm old and can't restart my life by potion or spell without risk of serious damage to my health. I know this is selfish of me, but Lily, please, use it and change the world. You're a remarkable student of mine and an equally excellent witch. This is a huge thing to ask of you, but..."_

 _Lily was moved to the point of tears as she stared at the sapphire Time-Turner in her hand._

 _"T—thank you so much, Minerva. I won't let you down," Lily half-sobbed, trying to hold back tears of gratitude. Her voice was thick with emotion as McGonagall wrapped her arms around Lily's shaking form. "I can't even express my gratitude in words, I..."_

She stared at the Time-Turner, sudden determination flaring up in her. As to not raise suspicion, she pretended to be out cold from shock and anger and guilt and... many other emotions. Voldemort barely spared her a glance as she subtly turned the Time-Turner, doing the math in her head. If she was twenty one now, she had to turn ten times to go back to when she was eleven... After she had finished setting, she waited with bated breath as a flash of green light illuminated the room. Holding back tears as Voldemort turned towards her, she could no longer hear her son's wails or cries, and her heart shattered into millions of pieces she had no idea how to piece back together at the thought. But just as Voldemort raised his wand at her, a flash of blue light shone from the Time-Turner hanging around her neck.

The last thing she saw was Voldemort's unguarded expression before she was enveloped by blue light, and with that, Lily Evans nee Potter ceased to exist in this universe.

The loud scream of Voldemort echoed throughout the room.


	2. Diagon Alley

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters, just the plot. All rights go to JK Rowling :)**

* * *

Though Lily's eyes were open, she couldn't think of why; her heart was pounding, mind empty. It was as if someone emptied a hypodermic of adrenaline into her carotid. Straining to adjust to the glaring sunlight shining into her eyes, she shifted a hand from her side to block out the daylight, only to realise it made no difference.

Scrunching her face into a grimace, Lily jerked herself into a sitting position, wincing when the abrupt action caused her head to throb unpleasantly. Objects flitted around in front of her eyes, the result of the illusion produced by her brain, for a few moments before she was finally able to regain some semblance of normalcy. Immediately after her slight vision impairment was gone, she was alerted to her parched throat and mouth, both dehydrated beyond her belief. Her entire body severely lacked water, and Lily felt an insatiable thirst for water or any drinkable liquid. Was this what happened after time-travelling a score years back? In that case, she would make sure the need to do so never arose again.

After dragging herself out of her comfortable bed, her small, eleven-year-old feet padded on the wooden plank floor to the kitchen. Her body was on autopilot as she walked down the stairs, clutching the railing securely in fear of losing her balance and tumbling headfirst down the flight of stairs. The smell of bacon, pancakes and sausages and countless other things wafted from the kitchenette downstairs, and Lily's stomach reacted instinctively to the scent, growling its approval of the food.

At the sound, Lily's mother, Mrs Evans, turned her head to face Lily, who was making her way down slowly. A loving smile appeared on her face as she adjusted the apron she was wearing, before turning back to the pan on the stove and flipping over the bacon sizzling on the cast iron skillet. Upon seeing the motherly love in her mum's eyes, Lily felt a pang of sorrow. How long had it been since she had that same look on her face while she looked at James and Harry? To think that Harry didn't exist and that James didn't know her at all in this world caused her heart to ache painfully.

"Lily, you're up! I just finished frying some bacon and eggs, and the oats are ready. Do you want some cranberries with your porridge?" Mrs Evans hustled around the kitchenette, placing fried eggs onto plates beside the bacon and pouring porridge into the ceramic bowls. She put one bowl in front of Mr Evans, whom Lily had only just noticed was sitting at the table, and set the plate of bacon and egg in the middle.

"Good morning, mum, I'll have cranberries and blueberries please, thank you," Lily replied almost automatically, her voice hoarse from disuse and lack of water. It was customary for her to have porridge with blueberries and cranberries every day, as it was a habit of hers since young. Nodding, Mrs Evans placed a handful of berries on the bowl of oats and put it where Lily remembered she used to sit at the dining table. While her mother did that, Lily grabbed the nearest clean glass from the countertop and pulled the refrigerator door open, clutching the carton of milk and unscrewing the top, before pouring the skim milk into her cup. Although she despised skim milk with her life and soul, Lily couldn't care less this time, especially when she felt like she was going to die from how dry and how similar her throat felt to sandpaper.

She relished the feeling of the cold milk as she gulped the whole glass down in seconds. The fact that the milk was just out of the refrigerator was a bonus which helped soothe her throat and return it to its original state. When she was done, she placed the glass in the sink and filled it with water, deciding to wash it later because she couldn't be bothered now.

"Mum, can I have those hash browns you bought yesterday? They're delicious," Lily asked her mother, pulling the frozen box of hash browns out of the freezer and handing it to Mrs Evans, who agreed quickly.

"I don't see why not. Before that, Lily, could you help call your sister up? The bacon's getting cold, and I don't think she fancies eating hard bacon for breakfast. You know how she hates that," Mrs Evans told her, her eyes darting to the ceiling above where Lily was sure Petunia's bedroom was.

Of course, Petunia. She was so caught up in trying to quench her burning thirst that she had already forgotten that she had a most pestiferous older sister still alive and breathing in the house. Well, she wasn't as much of a nuisance as she was a disagreeable person to be around. Lily recalled that in one week, at the start of which she had received her Hogwarts letter, Petunia had managed to turn into a difficult person to please and refused to have anything to do with Lily, a vast difference from the humorous older sister she used to be. It vexed her parents very much to see their two precious daughters not on speaking terms and instead scorning each other, but they couldn't do anything to help, especially with Petunia's stubborn disposition.

"Of course, mum, I'll get her right now," Lily dashed to the stairs and ran up two steps at the time as if trying to indicate to Mrs Evans her sincere willingness to help. Chuckling softly at her younger daughter, Mrs Evans wondered how gratifying it would be if her obstinate, and sometimes unreasonable older daughter would put past her differences with her sister and finally get along with her. Of course, it had come as a tremendous shock when Lily had received the letter from Hogwash or something along the lines, claiming that Lily was a witch and had been accepted to the school of witchcraft and wizardry. They had been stunned at this news but also supportive of Lily when she expressed her desire to attend this school excitedly, but Petunia hadn't taken this news with equal enthusiasm and instead turned it into the fuel behind her hostility towards her sister. Instead of congratulating Lily, Petunia had spat derogatory insults towards her younger sister and called her a freak that no one would love, resulting in both girls giving the other the cold shoulder for nearly a whole week. Mrs Evans sighed plaintively, pursing her lips before moving to sit at the dining table with her bowl of oats.

She had sounded doleful enough for her husband of 15 years to glance up at her from his daily newspaper, a ritualistic habit that he'd had since the very day she married him. Looking up from the edge of that day's copy of the Daily Herald, Mr Evans regarded his wife suspiciously, as if wondering if she was off her rocker that day.

"What?" she snapped with a deep scowl on her face, a little too sharply, before she dropped the scowl and simply stared at her porridge.

"Well, good morning, darling," Mr Evans remarked sarcastically, before hurriedly changing the topic at Mrs Evans' dark look. "Jeez, woman, don't get your knickers in a twist in the morning, I was just looking to see if you needed any help," he muttered, holding his hands up in surrender. This prompted Mrs Evans to narrow her emerald eyes at him, daring him to say anything more, and he muttered something under his breath, seemingly cowed by her expression.

"What did you say?" she asked him tartly.

"I said, don't you have hash browns to fry?" he repeated himself. Blinking for a few moments, Mrs Evans looked extremely surprised before she nodded briefly, standing up from her seat at the table and moving to the stove.

"I suppose I do," she murmured, lighting the stove before pouring five tablespoons of oil into the frying skillet. Mrs Evans hadn't meant to be so tense, but with the strained relationship between both her daughters, she couldn't help but be in a slightly bad mood that got progressively worse the more her daughters fought.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM, YOU FREAK!" Lily could be seen dashing down the stairs immediately after the enraged scream from upstairs came, followed by the loud slam of a door shutting and the harsh click of a lock. Staring at her mother with large, watery eyes that evoked pity in Mrs Evans, Lily silently pleaded with her mother to never send her back there again, and Mrs Evans couldn't help but concede to her request.

"Ah well, I suppose Petunia will have to eat stiff bacon then," Mrs Evans remarked with an air of indifference, thinking it a fitting punishment for Petunia since her older daughter hated food that was both hard and cold. It would be none of her business if Petunia woke up hungry and demanding freshly cooked food.

"Mum, after we finish breakfast, can we go to Diagon Alley?" Lily proposed while stuffing herself silly with bacon and oats. Frowning at her table-manners, Mrs Evans directed a stern look to Lily, who had the decency to look ashamed.

"What is this... diagonally?" Surprisingly, it was Mr Evans that asked. He looked up from his food over the top of his horn-rimmed glasses, having abandoned his newspaper in favour of eggs. "Do fill me in."

"It's Diagon Alley, dad. You see, it's the street in which most magical folk frequent to buy the materials and things they need. I head from Sev that students that go to Hogwarts all go to Diagon Alley to buy their uniforms and the stuff they need to go to Hogwarts," Lily then proceeded to describe what she had heard "from Sev", the shops, the bustling street, the people and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour's mouth-watering ice cream. It was half-true, anyways, since she had first heard of it from Severus in her previous life.

"And where is... Diagon Alley?" Mrs Evans questioned, pausing before saying the name of the street Lily had grown to love with the air of a foreigner who didn't quite understand what she was talking about.

"It's at Charing Cross Road, mum, which is quite near to where dad works."

"What about the Snapes? Do you want to invite them too?" Mrs Evans suggested, knowing how close Lily was with the Snape boy who lived on the house to their right. However, to her immense surprise, Lily shook her head quickly.

"I... er, I thought I could go to the wizarding world by myself once without disturbing Severus and his family. Plus, I kind— I want to explore everything myself without Severus telling me everything," It was a somewhat logical reason, Lily had to admit, even though she had come up with it on the spot.

"Well..." Mrs Evans pondered Lily's suggestion for a moment, meeting her husband's eyes. Lily desperately hoped they would agree because there was no reason for them to disagree at all. Her father nodded subtly, and for the second time that morning, her mother said, "I don't see why not."

"Yay! Thank you, mum, I'll change into decent clothes now," Lily squealed wildly in her enthusiasm, none of it faked at all, before running up the stairs, this time three steps at a time. Mrs Evans called out worriedly to her daughter, telling her to put her safety above her excitement by not sprinting up three steps at a time, but her words fell on deaf ears. Rolling her eyes at Lily's eagerness, Mrs Evans turned to Mr Evans and said, "We'll be taking the car with you, dear, is that quite alright? Do you have time to drop us off before work?"

"It's not a problem, Violet," her husband grinned suddenly, "especially when our daughter is so euphoric at the thought of going to this Diagon Alley."

"Then that's set, then," she mumbled. Mrs Evans briefly considered telling her elder daughter that everyone except her was leaving, but thought twice and decided against it. Let Petunia wake up alone and hungry, but with no proper breakfast, she told herself with a small smirk, that should teach her.

"C'mon mom, let's go!" Lily tugged at her mother's hand, dragging her towards the front door. She shot an impatient look at her father as well, wordlessly telling him to hurry up.

"But Lily, your hash-browns! They're only just done frying! Besides, I haven't worn decent clothes nor worn shoes yet!" Mrs Evans protested, causing Lily to sulk and pout like a spoilt child. She stuck her bottom lip out, crossing her arms over her chest to form the perfect picture of a pampered brat.

"Fine, but mum, can you please hurry? And bring slightly more money?" Lily lowered her voice towards the end to sound more mysterious, staring at her mother pleadingly with those puppy-dog eyes she knew no one could resist.

"Alright, I'll try," Mrs Evans sighed, mentally getting ready for a long, long day.

—

"What are we looking for?" Mrs Evans asked as she stepped off the car, not before giving her husband a goodbye kiss on the cheek. Immediately after her feet touched the ground, she felt herself being pulled forward by her exuberant daughter. Lily strode with large, hurried steps towards where she remembered The Leaky Cauldron was, ignoring her mother's, well, rather loud complaints about being dragged around like a horse. Lily was on the verge of skipping like a small schoolgirl, and she did for a few short moments, but she couldn't care less. Lily was deliriously happy, giddy even. She was going to see the street she started her magical adventure from; it had been the street in which she had taken her first glimpse of the magical world that existed and flourished, unknown to Muggles, as they called non-magical folk.

Lily halted in front of the old and broken-down shop front with a black, metal storefront sign of a witch bending over a cauldron and stirring it with a gigantic stirring-spoon. This was it, she told herself, feeling every fibre of her being vibrating with anticipation as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Mentally preparing herself for what she knew she was going to see behind the doors of the seemingly dilapidated Leaky Cauldron, Lily had to will herself not to squeal or shriek, lest she attracted attention to herself. Lily had to remind herself regularly that she was still an ignorant Muggle-born student in this life and could not afford for anyone to suspect her of anything.

"Lily?" Her mother's uncertain voice brought her out of her stupor, "are you sure this is the right one?

"Yes, mum, trust me," Lily pulled open the door to the Leaky Cauldron, stepping into the shop, and right before Mrs Evans' eyes, vanished with a shimmer in the air around her, seemingly morphing into the air.

She inhaled sharply, her mind whirling with questions like how it was possible for her daughter to simply disappear into thin air, just like that. Mrs Evans could not wrap her head around the fact that her daughter just evanesced and was lost to her sight.

Slight panic and trepidation overcame her, and she had to take a few deep, shuddering breaths to calm herself. The thought of Lily waiting behind the magical barrier was the motivation to propel herself forwards and through the glamour, but being a rather paranoid woman, Mrs Evans had to glance around furtively to make sure her disappearance into what was seemingly thin air went unnoticed before setting foot into what awaited her behind the invisible barrier.

At the exact same moment, Lily tapped her foot impatiently, trying not to be overwhelmed by the sights and smells around her. The foot traffic in the Leaky Cauldron was nothing compared to Diagon Alley, but it was equally loud and… Wait, did she smell Firewhiskey?

Nostalgic echoes of the recollections of happy times spent here with James, the Marauders and her Gryffindor friends rushed over her like a gigantic wave, crashing over her and threatening to drown her in the memories of the past. It had seemed like yesterday, or last week, that they had sat down at the bar and ordered good old Firewhiskey from Tom and drank until they were nothing but babbling messes. Even Lily herself, who normally disapproved of consuming such large amounts of alcohol, had let loose and enjoyed herself because she knew that gathering in the Leaky Cauldron could have been the last time they saw each other alive and well. They'd stayed there until past midnight until Tom had no choice but to kick them out because they were rowdy enough to receive complaints from other customers.

It took all the willpower in Lily to pull herself out of the memories and put a stopper on the overflowing mess of recollections in her head. She would deal with them later, but for now, she hastily imagined stuffing all of them into a box labelled "Deal With Later" and pushed it into the deepest corners of her mind. After that, her mind seemed lighter and she felt less burdened. Heaving a sigh of relief, she thanked her previous self for having the foresight to learn the basics of Occlumency.

With a jolt, Lily realised that far too much time had passed since she stepped through the glamour, and yet her mother had not appeared at all. Instantly, concern surged up in her and she was just about to pass through the charm when Mrs Evans, her face flushed red from something Lily couldn't tell.

"Mum are you okay?" there was an undertone of genuine worry in Lily's voice. This _was_ the woman who had raised her for 17 years in her previous life, and now an additional 11 in this life after all.

"I'm fine, Lily, now where's this Diagon Alley of yours?" Mrs Evans asked, looking around the bar and wrinkling her nose in distaste when a wizard in purple robes roughly knocked against her shoulder, sending her stumbling a few steps back.

"I'm not… I'm not too sure, mum, I'll have to ask the bartender, he'll know," Lily feigned ignorance and confusion, before making her to Tom, whom Lily knew to be the barman and innkeeper of the Leaky Cauldron, through the throng of bodies in the surprisingly crowded bar.

"Excuse me, sir, I'm a Muggle-born student and I don't know how to get to Diagon Alley," Lily twisted her hands, her face morphing into one resembling a lost and kicked puppy on the streets as she glanced at Tom. He was getting on in age, with a receding hairline that ensured anyone's first impression of him would be "a balding old man". However, he was, obviously, still much younger than she had last seen him, reminding her that although he resembled the Tom she knew in every aspect, he was still very much different than the Tom who would give her free shepherd's pies, telling her it was on the house. He towered over her eleven-year-old self and Lily unconsciously gulped as his eyes fell on her, slightly intimidated by the height difference between her and the colossal, at least to her, man standing in front of her.

It was exactly like the last time, except Lily knew what to expect when he led her and her mother to the solid brick wall in the rear courtyard of the Leaky Cauldron. Lily watched as he went to the brick on the third-last row, the second column and tapped the brick with his wand thrice.

Lily watched, captivated, as the bricked rearranged themselves, some sticking out further while some bricks moved backwards and out of sight. She barely heard her mother's amazed gasp. It was as if the red bricks had a mind of their own as they squeezed themselves together at the sides of a forming entrance to form two separate, compact walls at the sides. The wall rearranged itself, brick by brick, to make an entrance, its width just enough for two adults to squeeze through and its height as tall as Hagrid. Lily remembered with fondness the half-giant groundskeeper of Hogwarts as the first person she had been scared of when she boarded the boats and heard his loud, booming voice. She quickly realised he was passive and a great friend, but she never did stop feeling guilting for having judged him based on his appearance

However, all thoughts Lily had prior to this instantly left her mind as she stared at the bustling street that was Diagon Alley. Cobblestone bricks lined the path all the way, each of different shape, size and colour. Old-fashioned shophouses lined the two sides of the street, each one either covered with a red or brown tiled roof. Lily was bewitched by the various items on display behind the glass viewing cases. She spotted the grand main entrance of Gringotts farther down the street, as well as Eeylops Owl Emporium on her left, and, oh, was that Flourish and Blotts? Although it was her second time experiencing the thrill of seeing Diagon Alley for the first time, it was no less exhilarating to feel the literal magic in the air and see the occasional witch hat standing out in the crowd

Lily grinned widely, her smile stretching from ear to ear. The yellow light shining from the lamps hit her body, bathing her in warmth and Lily realised that the lights were enchanted. Now that she was back with her fellow wizards and witches, Lily didn't feel like an outcast anymore, and instead, she _finally_ felt like she belonged.


	3. Meeting Mary

**I am incredibly humbled by your reads, follows and reviews, my dear readers. Thank you guys so much for reading my story (which hadn't been updated in nearly two years). I would very much like to post new chapters every day; however, that is sadly beyond my capabilities. I have an important exam coming up in three months, and if I mess this exam up, I am very, very doomed. I'll most likely post one or two more chapters (don't worry, I'll make them as long as I can so you guys have more to read) and be on another long hiatus of 2 months. At the end of September, I'll return and continue writing Starting Anew! Once again, thank you all for your reads and follows, as well as my reviewers Lalyh, Alicia Olivia Mirza and TrueHomiePiP!**

 **By the way, I did my calculations, and I found out that 50 pounds in 1971 is worth £700.89 in 2019! Isn't the inflation rate crazy? Then, I used** **£700.89 and converted it to Galleons, so that became the amount of money Lily had to buy her Hogwarts stuff. Finally, let's just assume Wizarding money doesn't inflate over time.**

First, of course, Lily brought her mother to Gringotts to exchange their Muggle money for Galleons, folding her Hogwarts letter with her list of materials needed and stuffing it in her pocket, before politely rejecting Tom's offer to get someone to show them around Diagon Alley. Gringotts was every bit as magnificent and, for the lack of a better word, awe-inspiring as she remembered. Imposing marble pillars lined the sides of the entrance hall, the grand banking hall decorated with three magnificent crystal chandeliers. The chandeliers comprised tiny, finely-cut crystals which sparkled and coruscated in the light. Lily spied what she thought were brass leaf decorative tables and floor lamps, except where the bulb was supposed to be, there was a floating ball resembling a blue supergiant. Mrs Evans seemed fascinated by all this, slowing her pace to admire the gold ceiling and the humungous pillars.

They exchanged their fifty pounds for 140 Galleons, 12 Sickles and 17 Knuts, which Lily had to ask for a pouch to contain. One thing that couldn't be contained, however, was her anticipation at walking into Flourish and Blotts again.

Walking out onto the busy street, Mrs Evans clutched Lily's hand tightly, as if scared that Lily would get lost in the densely-packed crowd. Lily noticed that others had the same idea as her and had come to Diagon Alley to shop for school materials. By the time she was standing outside Madam Malkin's, she had spotted parents shrinking their child's cauldrons, uniforms, books; you name it, she saw it, into their bag. Some 11 year-olds were waving their news wands excitedly, some brandishing it like a knight with a sword. Shaking her head at their immaturity, Lily couldn't remember the last time she had gotten her wand. Had she waved it around as well?

Measuring tape, paper, pencils and even scissors flew around in the air around Madam Malkin as she measured the size of her newest customer. The poor boy standing in front of Madam Malkin looked very anxious at the extremely-sharp-looking scissors floating in the air, his unsettlement clear on his face as his eyes followed the scissors around. Meanwhile, a cloth stitched itself as the needle, thread and measuring tape, now done with the measurements, stretched itself out on the fabric. The scissors then cut along the measuring tape, before the needle sewed the two ends together. The tools worked in perfect harmony, soon producing a beautiful uniform, still grey as its owner had yet to be sorted.

Lily giggled softly an unfortunate person was pricked in the hip for accidentally tripping over a piece of cloth trailing on the floor. The silver needle, which appeared to be irate, jabbed the man harshly in his hipbone, eliciting a yelp of pain from the latter. He shook his fist at the needle as if it were a person, but the needle ignored it and continued working on the next uniform.

Soon, it was Lily's turn to be fitted. She stood on a raised platform and waited for the measuring tape to surround her.

"Hold up your arms, dear, I can't measure you like this," Madam Malkin instructed her, a hint of impatience in her voice. Tutting loudly, she waited as colour seeped into Lily's face, colouring her face with embarrassment.

"Oh, of course," Lily stretched her arms at a ninety-degree angle from her body, tensing when the tape wrapped a little too tightly around her... undeveloped bust. This continued for a few moments before she was ushered down the platform and directed to a waiting area, where she ordered her plain pointed hat, dragon-hide protective gloves, which was listed as 62 sickles, and a winter cloak. Soon, her name was called, and she was handed her uniform, all in a huge bag that Lily struggled to carry, by the cashier, who looked utterly bored.

"That'll be 21 Galleons and 12 sickles and 10 Knuts," the cashier informed her in a monotone voice, and Lily quickly took the money out from the pouch and handed it to the cashier. "Thank you for your purchase. I hope you have a day as nice as you."

Clutching her Hogwarts list in one hand, Lily headed for Potage's Cauldron shop, where she purchased her standard size two pewter cauldron for first years, a set of glass or crystal phials, one telescope for astronomy, and a set of brass scales. The helpful owner happily shrunk it for her and placed them in a bag.

Next, she went to Whytegood's Magical Luggage and Trunks to find the perfect trunk to bring to Hogwarts. Lily didn't have any memory of walking into this shop in her previous life, so she assumed that she must not have come to Whytegood's the last time around.

The owner was a jolly old wizard with twinkling eyes and a wicked long beard. He introduced her to the many types of trunks they had, and Lily found herself blown away by the secret compartments in the luggage cases. The first one he introduced her to had quite a beautiful, glossy lilac outer covering, but she found that the trunk was too small to fit all her stuff. The second one had several abilities and had multiple charms placed onto it, but Lily found the shade of brown the cracked leather was too dull, and in the end, didn't pick that one.

Lily looked at three more trunks but found flaws with them in some way or another. They were either too big, too small, too dull-coloured or too bright. She was beginning to tire when a deliveryman by the looks of it levitated two new trunks into the shop and placed it behind the counter. Quickly realising that those were the new suitcases, she requested to look at the latest arrivals and was intrigued by the one bright and fiery crimson trunk. The ruby-coloured suitcase was enchanted with Undetectable Extension Charms, an Unbreakable Locking spell that only unlocked if it sensed her unique magical aura, and even a magical shrunken library that the owner promised would be worth it. He fiddled with some dials at the side of the trunk that Lily hadn't noticed before, and right before her very eyes, he vanished into nothingness. Taken aback by his sudden disappearance, Lily blinked rapidly, trying to process what just happened.

With a pop, the owner appeared again, this time holding a book with the title _Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander, which was arguably Lily's second favourite book of all time.

"What… what did you— you just disappeared!" Lily spluttered in her disbelief, her mother equally, if not more, flabbergasted.

"As I just demonstrated, this trunk has a special library enchanted into it. There are books on spells, history, potions and even Muggle subjects you'd typically find in a library, but there are still a few empty shelves for you to put your books," the owner explained patiently. He pressed the book into Lily's hands and guided her, step by step, how to set the dials correctly so that when she pressed a button, she would transport herself into the secret library.

"You can set your personalised password, but in reality, those are just for show. When I sell a case, it will be charmed to recognise its owner's distinctive magical aura and only unlock itself in the presence of that aura," he taught Lily the method to set her number lock combination, before urging her to press the shiny, golden button on the side of the trunk.

As her hands edged forward, resting on the golden button which beckoned her to push down, Lily glanced at her mother apprehensively. Surprisingly, her mother's eyes were more curious than worried, and Mrs Evans nodded at her to continue.

When her fingers applied pressure to the button, she suddenly felt a tug at her navel, jerking her backwards and through a blue, fabric-like rippling object, before she landed unsteadily on her own two feet in an airy room with a ceiling nearly thrice her height. Sunlight streamed through the multiple gold-tinted windows and landed on the Gryffindor-ish red carpet, which, even when Lily wore shoes, she could tell was soft and comfortable. Bookshelves nearly twice her height backed the creamy beige wall, each of their shelves packed tightly with books of subjects of all kinds. From her spot in the middle of the room, Lily forgot how to breathe or move her feet, which seemed glued to the ground as her eyes scanned the titles on the bookshelves greedily.

 _Alchemy, Ancient Art and Science, Atlas of Celestial Anomalies, A Brief History of Time, A History of Magic_ , _The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Hogwarts, a History, Guide to Advanced Occlumency, Nature's Nobility, a Wizarding Genealogy, Protection Charm Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Counter Legilimency, Wizards are from Neptune while Witches are from Saturn, World Mythology..._

Lily instantly knew she was going to be spending a lot of time here.

She would have loved to pluck a book out, plop herself on the gigantic, extremely snuggly-looking ivory faux-fur beanbag, but she was reminded that she hadn't paid for this suitcase yet when an unseeable wall stopped her hand from reaching out any further. Tilting her head sideways, she supposed she would have to leave this room and pay for the trunk before anything happened.

However, Lily was at a loss for what she needed to do to leave this library, which she had fallen in love with the second she materialised in it. She had entered this room by pressing a golden button, so she deduced that perhaps, to leave this room, she would have to find a gold button and push it to reappear in the normal world.

A few minutes passed before she finally found what she was looking for. A glossy gold button stared up at her from behind a bookshelf. Knowing that she had found it, she pressed it and almost immediately felt herself being jerked back by a harsh tug on her navel, the sensation so similar to that of a Portkey's that Lily couldn't help but think back to the last time she had used a Portkey. It had been James' birthday, and he gave her a Portkey to use to send herself to his house, as her home did not have Floo Powder nor a fireplace.

Lily refused to think much about it, fearing that she would become too absorbed in her memories and her past. Instead, she pushed it aside, sighing in relief when her mother and the owner's face slowly came into view.

"How was it? Do you like it? These trunks are usually for travellers, but I thought you seemed the type to like reading books," the owner asked her, and Lily nodded swiftly.

"How much is it?" Running her hands along the shiny exterior of the trunk, Lily admired the lustrous red sheen.

"40 galleons."

"What?!" Lily exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the shop owner with disbelief. "Forty galleons? Can't you give me a discount or something? After all, I bought this the second it was delivered. No one's going to buy think trunk at _forty_ galleons, no matter how good it is. Could you, perhaps, give me a discount of ten galleons?" Lily used this opportunity to sharpen her bargaining skills.

"This..." the owner seemed visibly torn apart between giving her a discount and refusing. She seized that moment of weakness and made her best puppy-dog eyes, blasting the owner with the full force of her cuteness. Luckily, the owner didn't seem to be able to resist her pitiful gaze and acquiesced. "Fine! Fine, thirty galleons it is."

"Thanks!" she handed the galleons over to the owner, who helped her fill her trunk with her previous purchases and apply a Weightlessness Charm to it for greater ease.

At this point, Lily was slightly worn out by all the shopping. She had never been one to enjoy walking around in shops, buying things and wasting money on stuff she would tire of in a few years or even months. The adrenaline high of going to Diagon Alley had faded away, leaving Lily exhausted by everything. Mrs Evans seemed slightly tired too, but mostly looked intrigued and interested in everything she saw in Diagon Alley.

That was until Lily realised they only had two other places to visit before they could go home, and they were Flourish and Blotts and Ollivander's.

Instantly, she felt as alive and excited as she had been at the start of the trip. Lily decided to save Ollivander's, the best, for last and headed to Flourish and Blotts. However, they were sidetracked by Florean Fortescue's on the way, and both mother and daughter got a chilly treat to cool themselves down. Lily bought a mint chocolate chip sundae with banana slices, while Mrs Evans ordered a caramel brownie ice cream float.

They finished their ice creams while walking to Flourish and Blotts under the scorching sun, feeling like the oven-like temperature of the air was baking them. Summer in England did not disappoint _—_ it was swelteringly hot that day.

The second Lily stepped into Flourish and Blotts, the comforting _fragrance_ of parchment, fresh ink and somehow, quills, wafted into her nostrils, and Lily couldn't help but take a deep lungful of air. Flourish and Blotts was the fourth home she had, after Hogwarts, Potter Manor and her original ancestral home. She had spent many, many hours browsing through the books or skimming through the shelves, finding the right book to bring home and spend hours poring over. Lily had managed to strike up a friendship with the bookstore employee, a Ravenclaw girl a year above her named Lilac Rosenberry, and she greatly missed the intellectual conversations they'd have about books they'd both read.

Taking a glance at the current bookstore employee, Lily was disappointed when she didn't recognise the person at the counter. What did she expect, anyway? She chided herself for actually believing that she would know the person behind the counter, before shrugging and telling her mother that she was going to look for her school books.

Lily slipped her hand in her pocket and unfolded her list of Hogwarts books, her eyes darting to the labels over the sections as she made her way to each and every one of them. First, she took _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1_ by Miranda Goshawk from the Charms section, before moving to take _A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot from its place on the shelf opposite when she realised she had it already in her personal trunk-library. Next was _Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling, then _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, Magical Drafts and Potions, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them—_ oh wait, she already had that in her personal library as well, and lastly, _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection._

Since she was in Flourish and Blotts, Lily decided to make full use of it and picked some other books that she felt she would very much enjoy reading. _The Full Guide to_ _Warding and Curse-Breaking, Astronomical Constellations and their Stars, Pureblood Etiquette and Social Rules, Wizarding Legends and Folktales, Jinxes and Curses to Hurl at your Nemesis_ and _Animagi: the Transformation_ all went into her basket along with her school books. Surprisingly, her mother was nowhere in sight, but Lily clamped down on her worry, telling herself she'd reappear later.

She walked to the entrance of the store and placed her basket of books on the counter so the price could be calculated. She was a 21-year-old in an 11-year-old body, so she'd automatically be more skilled than her friends at that age. Lily vaguely remembered being oblivious and ignorant of Wizarding society and customs, and being mocked and ridiculed because she was a Muggleborn and didn't understand certain actions. That was the reason behind buying _Pureblood Etiquette and Social Rules_. Her strong desire to fit in ensured that she would finish reading and familiarise everything in the book by September 1st, which meant that she had almost a week to do so.

Lily also had to make sure she didn't outshine her peers and complete the tasks given to her by teachers too quickly. Her essays had to be excellent, but couldn't be too complicated or have too much detail in case it raised suspicion. She'd also have to stay on the down low and not attract any unnecessary attention to herself.

Suddenly, the sounds of chattering came from behind her. Lily spun to see her mother conversing casually with another middle-aged woman. Beside her, a timid looking girl with mousy brown hair walked, slightly caving in on herself like a typical person with low self-esteem. Shock passed through her like electricity when her eyes widened in recognition _— Mary MacDonald._

Lily was so used to the older and way more confident version of Mary MacDonald that she couldn't believe her own eyesight for a moment. It had taken years for Mary to blossom into the fun-loving and exuberant young woman she was, and it was a tough path to get Mary to open up. Every time it seemed to go right, incidents would happen that made Mary retreat back into her shell, the most detrimental to her mental health being the incident in third-year when Mulciber physically assaulted her in the hallways. That had resulted in hermit-like behaviour for nearly half a year, in which she prefered solitude in the Gryffindor dorms and only ever spoke when a Professor asked her something. Lily never forgave Mulciber and by extension Severus, who had stood by and done nothing to stop Mulciber when he heard poor Mary's screams and shrieks, for the trauma inflicted on Mary and for the hindrance it had caused to her, until that point, rapid progress.

"Lily! Meet Mrs MacDonald and her daughter, Mary," Mrs Evans introduced them with an expression that made Lily think she was extremely proud of herself. "Mary is a... what's the word again?"

"Muggleborn," Mrs MacDonald supplied helpfully.

"Yes, Muggleborn, like you. Apparently, it means that you were born to non-magical parents. Anyway, Mary here is a positively lovely girl, and I think you'll get along well," Mary folded into herself even more, if that was possible. Cracking a gentle smile at the other girl, Lily extended a hand to Mary kindly, who stared at her with confused eyes.

"I'm Lily Evans and it's a pleasure to meet you," Lily greeted her placidly, waiting for a reaction from Mary. Cocking her head to the side when Mary made no move to shake her hand, she plastered a hurt expression on her face and asked, "Are you not pleased to meet me? Never mind then _—"_

 _"_ Oh, no, no, please don't take offence," Mary quickly assured her, "it's, uh, very nice to meet you too!"

"Have you gotten your wand yet?" Lily asked her, and Mary shook her head in the negative. Hurriedly handing over the money to the cashier and lifting her bag of books from the counter, she tugged on Mary's sleeve, saying, "Let's get our wands together right now, then!"

"I haven't... bought my books yet..." Mary trailed off at the end, her face instantly morphing into a frightened expression when Lily didn't reply immediately, as if worried her answer would invoke Lily's wrath or something.

"Oh, my bad, I'm sorry," Lily smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Go ahead and pay for your books then, I'll wait here."

Lily took the time to put her books in her trunk while Mary's mother paid for the books with their exchanged Galleons. Mary's and her mother engaged each other in conversation throughout, while Mary was too shy to even open her mouth to start talking with Lily.

"So, which house do you want to go to?" Lily inquired politely, genuinely curious about Mary's choice.

Confusion flickered over Mary's face as she looked at the slightly taller girl with creased eyebrows. "H _—_ house? I'm sorry, I'm not too sure what you're talking about."

"Well, you see, Hogwarts has four houses, each with desired character traits they used as the guidelines to pick their students with," Lily launched into a detailed explanation of the Sorting and House system of Hogwarts. "Gryffindor values the brave and courageous, even if they don't make the best decisions at times," she was speaking from experience when she said that, "while Ravenclaw prizes intelligence and wit over everything else. Hufflepuff is the house of the loyal and kind, as well as the hardworking, and lastly Slytherin wants those whose ambition and cunning rise above the rest."

Mary mumbled something unintelligible under her breath.

"What was that?"

Blushing furiously at having been caught, Mary repeated herself, this time slightly louder, "I said you made the houses sound like people, with their own thoughts and all."

"That's because the houses were created by people at the very start. In fact, the houses are their creator's namesakes. Gryffindor was created by Godric Gryffindor, Slytherin by Salazar Slytherin, Ravenclaw by Rowena Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff by Helga Hufflepuff. Together, they are called the Four Founders of Hogwarts," Lily explained further. "And while they might not be alive to sort the students today, Godric Gryffindor enchanted a hat to Sort the students after the Founders' demise. The hat, when placed on a students head, can read the mind of the student and learn their characteristics so it can place them in the most suitable house. However, sometimes students have characteristics that belong to two or more houses, and this causes a hatstall, in which the student takes a longer time than usual to be sorted into their house."

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Mary bit her lip worriedly at the thought of a magical hat reading her mind and knowing all her desires.

"Well, when you get to the Wizarding World, you'll realise that they Wizarding folk don't have such a strong sense of protecting their own privacy as we non-magical folk do, so you'll have to get used to that," Lily said apologetically, although it wasn't her own fault in any way.

Mary was silent for a moment before she raised her head to look the red-headed girl in the eyes, admiration and new-found respect for the former shining in her eyes.

"How do you know so much?" Mary whispered, causing Lily's face to be coloured in embarrassment.

"Well, consider it a product of large amounts of reading and unsated curiosity about the Wizarding World," Lily told her. It wasn't untrue, after all, only that she didn't gain this information just from reading books.

"I think I'd very much like to learn from you," it was said in a hushed voice, but Lily still heard it full well. She internally sighed in relief, thinking she was one step closer to her goal of drawing Mary out of her shell.

They reached Ollivander's, their mothers just behind them as they entered the shop. Everything was as Lily recalled: there was a thin layer of fine dust over everything, covering all the things from Ollivander's work-table to the cases of wands stacked at the very top of the shelves. Lily secretly wondered which was the oldest wand that Ollivander had made that was still in the shop, unsold and waiting for its owner.

"Welcome, Miss..." Raising his head from making a new wand, Ollivander trailed off when he realised he didn't recognise any of the faces before him.

"Lily Evans, and this is Mary MacDonald," Lily took the initiative to introduce herself and Mary. "These are our mothers, Mrs Evans and Mrs MacDonald."

"Ah, Muggleborns, I see," Ollivander muttered thoughtfully.

Lily felt Mary stiffen beside her, as if offended. Bristling at Ollivander's words, Mary asked in the coldest tone she could muster, "Is that a problem, Mr...?"

"Garrick Ollivander at your service, Miss MacDonald, and no, being a Muggleborn is not a bad thing. In fact, I had a Muggleborn come to my shop to find a wand for herself one year, and a few years later I heard that she had graduated at the top of her class and got a well-paying job at the Ministry," Ollivander's attempt to placate Mary worked, and she gradually relaxed, relieved that she wasn't going to receive any stigma, at least not from Ollivander.

"Which one of you would like to start first?" the man asked, and Mary's eyes instantly shot to Lily, as if pleading for her to start first because she was too afraid to go first.

"I will," Lily volunteered, and Ollivander nodded.

"Very well," he stood up from his place and plucked a box from the shelf on the right. Placing it down on the table in front of Lily, he opened the case to reveal a dark-coloured wand that Lily was certain wasn't her trusty 10 inch, willow, swishy with dragon heartstring wand. "This is a wand made out of chestnut. It's 9 inch, with dragon heartstring. Very stiff and great for Transfiguration."

Before Lily even picked the wand up, she knew it wasn't a match for her, and she knew Ollivander could sense her hesitation too. However, just to entertain Ollivander and the obviously tense Mary, she picked the wand up and gripped it tightly, flicking it just for show.

Instantly, the lamp on Ollivander's desk exploded, the bulb shattering into tiny pieces of glass and flying out in all directions. Mrs MacDonalds and Mary both screamed simultaneously, ducking for cover in a far corner of the room. Ollivander merely looked pensive while Lily pointed the wand at the lamp and muttered a quick _Reparo,_ before placing the wand back where it belonged.

"Not this, then," he grabbed the box and placed it on its original position on the shelf, moving to the opposite end of the room to grab an even darker coloured box from another shelf. While he did that, Lily spun around to face Mary and Mrs MacDonald, both who were looking scared out of their wits, and her mother, who also looked slightly unnerved. Shooting them a look filled with the reassurance that it was alright, the three looked slightly pacified, but still remained alert and seemed ready to bolt at any second.

"Birch, pliable, 10 inches and made with phoenix feather," although the wand was similar in colour and length to her own wand, her magic still refused to interact properly with the magic imbued in the wand. Lily still willed herself to pick up the wand, but before she could even do so, Ollivander snatched up the box and placed it back on the shelf.

"No, no," he murmured to himself, "must be willow and swishy, great for Charms." Lily's eyebrows were raised in astonishment as Ollivander went around the room, looking for the wand he was talking about. She supposed people must have been right, and that Ollivander really had magical abilities when it came to wands.

He let out an exclamation of delight when he located the wand he had been muttering about. Sliding it out from its place between two other boxes, Ollivander set it in front of Lily with an air of I-know-this-is-the-wand-you're-looking-for, urging her to open it swiftly. Lily did, wasting no time in flipping the wooden case open and seizing the wand in her hand.

Immediately, warmth shot up her right arm, enveloping her entire body in a sense of calm and peace. Lily just knew she belonged to this wand as much as it belonged to her. The feeling was an unexplainable one and although it was her second time experiencing such an emotional rush, it didn't make it any less special.

"Willow, 10 inch with dragon heartstring. Swishy. Adept at Charms," Ollivander informed her with a smile, but Lily had a niggling Ollivander knew _she knew._ Either way, she didn't comment on the strangely knowing smile, instead opting to nod back with the mirror of his smile on her lips.

Next up was Mary, and Lily knew she was ten times as apprehensive as she looked. Her thoughts were as readable as an open book on her face, and Lily could tell she was distressed at the possibility that she would harm her mother, Lily or Lily's mother while trying out a wand, or worse, blow herself up in the process and erase herself from the face of the Earth. Ollivander, who seemingly had the ability to read minds, dispelled her fears with the simple sentence of, "Don't worry, you won't harm anyone unless you have the intent to."

The first wand Mary tried was 12 inches long, made of cherry wood, and had a unicorn tail hair for a core. The second she swished it, the entire right side of the room, including the shelves and wands, imploded. Even the wall collapsed on itself, crumbling into a pile of debris that Ollivander dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," he told Mary, who looked extremely guilty at the mess she just caused.

The second was an 8 inch, dragon heartstring, mahogany wand. Mary looked reluctant to even look at the wand, claiming it simply felt evil and _wrong_. Upon hearing her claim, Ollivander instantly locked the case and levitated it into his office, saying it was no longer for sale. When four bewildered looks were directed his way, he explained that a young witch or wizard's instinct was usually very accurate when it came to wand magic, and if Mary felt that it was wicked, he would have to inspect the wand later on.

A few more wands followed, but they weren't compatible with Mary. Her disheartenment shown through and was evident on her face when Ollivander put back the latest-tried wand.

"Don't worry, you'll find a wand, everyone does," Lily patted her back encouragingly.

Mary visibly paused before saying, "What if I'm not like everyone else?"

"Well, in some way, you aren't," Lily said, before she realised it sounded the wrong way when Mary paled dramatically. "I mean, we all have different wand combinations. No one has the same two type of wand, so you'll just have to be patient to find _your_ combination."

Finally, Ollivander came back with a super dusty box that looked like it had been kept in the shop for decades, centuries even. He dusted off the dirt with a cloth on his table, before opening the case with extreme carefulness, as if afraid the lid would fall off its hinges any second.

"12 inch, alder wood, with phoenix feather. Unyielding and great for offensive sells of any type," Ollivander placed the wand down in front of Mary, who picked it up listlessly, not expecting anything to happen.

To her intense surprise and joy, a burst of warmth exploded from the wand and surrounded her in a shower of golden sparks.

"Interesting," Ollivander commented idly but did not elaborate further.

In the end, they each paid seven Galleons for their wand and left the shop.

The events of the day finally caught up to Lily and she felt her bones ache with exhaustion. It seemed like her mother, too, was considerably tired, and they bid farewell to the MacDonalds, before heading home.

"Bye, Lily!" Mary called out to her, having opened up to her during the course of their wand-trying session.

"Bye Mary!"

They then went their separate ways.

It was a great day.


	4. Normalcy

The next day, Lily woke up at 7, refreshed and extremely content. Events of the past day floated back to her, and she turned her head to regard the wand on her bedside table with affection. A glance at the clock hung on the other side of the room told her it was half-past seven, and Lily wasted no time in getting out of bed and brushing her teeth. She slipped on a white chiffon dress with a black waist belt, before heading down to eat breakfast. She was halfway down the stair when her wand sprang to her mind, and she backtracked to pick her wand up and slip in into her pocket.

That day's breakfast was a somewhat subdued occasion. Neither Mrs Evans or Mr Evans talked much, instead focusing on eating their full English breakfasts. Lily was immersed in her thoughts, wondering what the best way to keep her Hogwarts materials away from a spiteful and vicious Petunia was. Would she snap her wand in half if she found it? Surely she would not be so daring, because after all, they were still living under the same roof as their parents. Digging into her memories to find recollections of Petunia, Lily was not at all surprised to find that Petunia had gotten more malicious after moving out of the house to live with her boyfriend, a piggish man with a ridiculously inflated head who often took himself too seriously. The last she remembered was that they had a child named Dudley Dursley (seriously, were they setting the child up for a life of mocking? What sort of name was Dudley?) who was a positive terror.

She would make sure her Harry would never have to interact with Dudley or her horrid sister and brother-in-law _ever_.

"So what did you do in Diagon Alley, Lily?" Mr Evans asked her an undertone of curiosity in his voice. Startled, Lily snapped her head up from her sausages.

"Mum and I bought my school stuff. We met another Muggle-born, a witch or wizard born to non-magical parents, and her mother, the MacDonalds. I got along quite well with the Muggle-born, Mary, and we got our wands together," Lily recounted.

"Ah yes, the MacDonalds. Janet McDonald was timid, lacked a backbone and didn't have an opinion on a lot of things. Not the friend I was looking for, but she does supply a lot of information on this new world Lily now is a part of," Mrs Evans said, shrugging lightly.

The sound of the doorbell ringing interrupted whatever Lily was about to say. Leaping up from her seat, she announced that she would get it, and walked to the living room to receive whoever it was outside the door.

When the door swung open, Lily unintentionally let out a small gasp. Standing in front of her was a younger version of Severus Snape with chubby cheeks and the milkiest skin she had ever seen. His hair wasn't greasy... yet.

Revulsion and disgust for the past— wait, no, future version of Severus left a bitter, acidic taste in Lily's mouth. He had let his humiliation and embarrassment take him by the reins and called her a Mudblood in fifth year, knowing full well the effect of the name that wasn't just a mere word to Lily. It represented her failure to fit in with the Wizarding community, and he knew it, Lily having poured her heart out to him and told him her insecurities before the incident. Afterwards, he joined the group of Voldemort's lackeys, the Death Eaters, and allowed himself to be branded by that vile and pathetic excuse of a human. Severus didn't tell her, and he hadn't needed to, because she could physically feel the evil radiating off the snake-and-skull tattoo on his left wrist.

"Lily?" Blinking rapidly, Lily was faced with the perplexed face of one Severus Snape. "Are you alright? You look... odd."

She desperately wanted to slam the door with a bang right in his face, but she had to fight back the compulsion and force down her contempt. It wouldn't do for Lily to ostracise and offend Severus over something he, technically, hadn't done, lest she sent him down a path of self-destruction and depression worse than the one he was on the previous time.

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," she shrugged it off, before fixing him with a stare that had him squirming slightly under her gaze. "What are you doing here?"

An expression of hurt and upset crossed Severus' face for a split second before his usual look of indifference took over.

"I... don't you remember? We agreed to go to Diagon Alley today, after breakfast. I thought I'd come around and see if you were up yet..." he trailed off uncertainly, raising an eyebrow when Lily's eyes widened in utmost horror. Had they really agreed to go to Diagon Alley together? She flipped through her new self's memories, clenching her teeth in anger at her carelessness. Of course, Severus would have wanted to introduce her to the Wizarding World because he was the one who told her about it in the first place. How could she neglect that fact?

However, in the end, Lily steeled her face into a mask of insouciance and regarded Severus with a sort of apathy. "I don't remember anything of the sort. I think you must have been mixed up, Severus, because I certainly never talked to you about going to Diagon Alley together. In fact, I went to Diagon Alley yesterday and got my Hogwarts things already."

This time, Severus didn't even try to mask the misery and dismay on his face as his mouth opened slightly to form an "O". He visibly struggled to speak for a few moments, looking discombobulated by her sharp tone of voice.

"I don't understand. You were so excited while talking about going to Diagon Alley. There's no way you didn't say anything about going to Diagon Alley because you clearly did," Severus murmured, his eyes glazed over and Lily guessed he was thinking about her words.

Lily was saved from any further explanation when her mother's voice travelled from just behind her, greeting Severus politely before asking her what the hold-up was. Lily explained that Severus was merely asking if she had gone to Diagon Alley.

"Oh, yes, Lily and I went to Diagon Alley yesterday. If you're wondering why she didn't invite you," at this point, Lily made a frazzled motion to indicate to her mother that it was time to stop speaking, but the unknowing Mrs Evans continued. "She said she didn't want to disturb you because she thought it was noble enough that you introduced her to the Wizarding World, and she wanted to explore on her own without needing your assistance."

Mrs Evans obviously believed that she was helping Lily's place in Severus' heart go up a notch higher, but her words achieved the opposite effect. Lily knew Severus could see through her small lie, and she didn't anticipate the reaction she would get. Like she expected, immediately after Mrs Evans stopped speaking, Severus shot her a look so full of hurt and sorrow that Lily felt a momentary pang of guilt. Averting her eyes to focus on the beige wall, Lily hoped for this all to be over soon so she could go back to her room and spend time in her library.

"Why don't you follow Lily up to her room and read her new books together? I'm sure you'll be interested in them since you both have the same interests," Mrs Evans suggested innocently.

"No!"

"Sure—" Both Lily and Severus turned to scrutinise the other. Green eyes surveyed him coolly without a shred of warmth and Severus unconsciously shuddered, unused to the unfriendly and positively glacial version of Lily. He ducked his head, unwilling to look into Lily's frosty gaze, before shaking his head politely.

"Since Lily doesn't _want_ me around," he purposely added a razor-sharp edge to his voice, feeling amused when Lily flinched at his tone. "I'll leave."

"No, don't be that way," Mrs Evans directed a reproaching look at Lily, who adopted her most meek-looking face the second it was sent her way. "Lily, bring Severus up to your room and show him your new books. You can have breakfast with us if you haven't already, Severus."

"Oh no, it's fine, I've already eaten, but thank you for the offer," Severus replied cordially, shooting a grateful smile at Mrs Evans. Lily noticed he was glimpsing at her and promptly gave him the surliest look she could muster, after which he diverted his eyes away from her face. She couldn't help it— she still couldn't get the much older and much more wicked Severus out of her head. Lily knew it wasn't right to load all the things future Severus had done onto his younger and alternate self, but every time she looked at that face, she felt nothing but hatred. The Death Eaters killed Marlene, tortured Frank and Alice until they were nothing but shells of their original selves, killed Dorcas' family and extended family and, while they were still in school, inflicted trauma onto Mary, so much that whenever she saw violence or heard someone being assaulted, she would burst into tears and have a panic attack. Had Severus been part of these? Even if he hadn't participated directly, joining and pledging allegiance to their cause, which targeted Muggle-borns like her and Mary, was enough to sever their ties of friendship in half.

She trudged up to her room, an air of annoyance and hostility surrounding as Severus followed quietly behind her, no sound of his footfalls at all. Wrenching the door to her bedroom open, she made a beeline for her bed beside the window, picking up _Pureblood Etiquette and Social Customs_ and making sure Severus didn't read the title before gesturing to the pile of new books.

"Pick a book and start reading," Lily told him curtly, moving to her bed and resting her book on her knees. She quickly started reading, ignoring Severus' presence in her room, hoping he didn't ask her any more stupid questions she didn't know how to answer.

Unfortunately, he did. Only ten minutes had passed before he cleared his throat, gazing at Lily, who tried her best to pretend she did not hear a single thing.

"Lily," he started, slightly unsure as to what her reaction would be.

"What?" she snapped irately, squaring her jaw at him.

Wincing, he continued, "Why are you so hostile to me?"

Panic rose up in her as she gulped slowly, her expression resembling a deer caught in headlights. Lily had been _hoping_ he wouldn't be so direct as to ask her _why_ she was acting that way, instead opting to figure it out on his own, but this wasn't the case. An awkward silence hung in the air as Severus stared at her intensely, and Lily knew she had to come up with a good reason, fast.

"It's just that… Well, you told me about Hogwarts houses," she said slowly, tilting her head downwards as the gears in her head spun rapidly to come up with a follow-up story for that. "You told me that you wanted to go to Slytherin, but after I looked at the characteristics of Slytherin, I found that they were blood-purists and that detested Muggle-borns like me. I realised that there was no way I would go to Slytherin and that if you wished to go to Slytherin, it means that you hate people like me. You mentioned house rivalries between Gryffindor and Slytherin before, Gryffindor is the house that suits me the most, while Slytherin is your chosen pick. Why bother even being friends with each other when the house rivalries and peer pressure are going to force us apart?" Lily's face morphed into one of desolation as she lifted her head to blast Severus with the full force of her woeful emerald eyes.

Severus looked horrified that Lily had taken his words so seriously. So seriously, that she wanted to break their friendship up just because of something as insignificant of house rivalries. Hiding a smug smile at how easy manipulated Severus was, Lily kept up the gloomy façade as she waited for Severus to reply.

"Oh, no, Lily, I didn't mean it that way!" Severus whispered, his eyes shining with regret and distress. "I'll always be your friend, no matter which house we go to."

"Really?" Lily's eyes lit up like the decorative lights on a Christmas tree, her spine instantly straightening at the thought of being unaffected by the house rivalries. At least, that was what Severus assumed.

"Really," he confirmed, cracking a small, friendly smile at her.

"That's great!" It physically hurt Lily to act so childishly and happy, but the thought of arousing suspicion and messing up her half-formed plans compelled her to carry on with lying through her teeth and continue her acting, which Lily thought quite realistic. She wondered if she could win a Best Leading Actress award in the Muggle world if she tried out for a lead role in a movie. It was an intriguing wish that she thought she could have gone after had she not have been admitted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

They spent around an hour in Lily's room, looking through her new books and discussing spells and jinxes. Neither of them mentioned the house rivalries, and Lily was relieved Severus didn't bring the subject up again. Spending the time with idle chatter and discussing their plans for the future was a surprisingly hard thing for Lily to do because the fact that Severus would grow up to be a Death Eater kept bouncing around in her brain. It kept reminding her that Severus was another one of her let-downs, another one of the people she failed to keep out of harm's way.

Lily pursed her lips, so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't even bother listening to what Severus was rambling about. It wasn't too late to change Severus for the better, starting right then, and Lily was sure with enough time and effort on both their parts, Severus could avoid a path of certified death.

A loud rapping of knuckles on the front door could be heard out of the blue. Lily flinched sharply, having been abruptly jolted out of her musings.

"Mum, Vernon's here," Petunia's high-pitched shriek as she bolted down the stairs travelled up, through the shut door and into Lily's ears, who winced at her sister's behaviour. Had Petunia and Vernon, their then-neighbour down the street, started being friends at the age of thirteen the last time around? Did their relationship already progress until a stage where Vernon could show up at _their_ house unannounced and simply expect to be let in? No, Lily couldn't make it easy for them to do anything, especially since Vernon had been such a prick to her in the other universe.

She dimly realised she was hypocritical as she marched to the door, flung it open and ran down the stairs. Severus had shown up unannounced in the morning too, and Mrs Evans had welcomed him, even sending him to Lily's room so they could look through her books. Petunia hadn't said a word about his appearance; ergo Lily shouldn't have had any problem with Vernon suddenly turning up at their doorstep. However, she convinced herself Vernon had been the most disagreeable, irksome, troublesome, annoying, irritating, vexatious, displeasing, nasty, horrible, appalling, terrible, awful, dreadful, hateful, detestable, miserable, abominable, execrable, odious, invidious, obnoxious, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, disgusting, distasteful and ugly _entity_ she had ever encountered. He'd taunted her about her magic, along with Petunia, and it took her three years before she found the courage to talk back to him and scare him off with threats about her magic.

Find any word that means repulsive, and Lily would be sure to apply it on Vernon.

 _It's not like you and Severus haven't acted rudely to Petunia,_ a snide voice sneered inside her head, _remember when Severus Snape dropped that tree branch on Petunia's head?_

 _That was harmless. She just ran off with a squeal,_ Lily countered with a roll of her eyes. She _deserved it for eavesdropping on our conversation anyway._

 _He dropped one of the three main boughs of the tree on her skull! How can you say that was harmless? If I were her, I would hate the both of you for the rest of my life. Plus, she was already jealous of you and Severus and even wrote the letter to Headmaster Dumbledore, pleading to attend Hogwarts. The rejection, coupled with your parents' pride and the fact that she will never achieve the things you will, make her bitter and Vernon, having never truly interacted with you, believed his wife's side of the story in which you were evil and practised sorcery with malicious intent._

 _Whatever. It is true._ Lily didn't know when she had been so stubborn and unempathetic, but at that moment, she found herself indifferent to whatever injuries Petunia had sustained after that. The blow from the loss of a sister, a close friend, _family_ had cut deeper into Lily than any razor, knife or insult. The emotional scar that Petunia had left behind was incomparable to whatever physical injury Petunia had suffered.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Lily's absence in her life had impacted Petunia more than she had though it did, the fissures and cracks hidden from view beneath the perfect surface her _dear_ older sister put up. Maybe it was too much of Lily even to consider Petunia felt the same way she did. Either way...

 _She deserved it._

"Petunia! It's so nice to see you again," Vernon exclaimed, grinning with his teeth exposed. Disappointed that Vernon's teeth weren't yellow, jagged pieces of calcium protruding from an overly bloody enamel like she imagined while coming down the stairs and instead straight, pearly whites, Lily dodged behind a wall just in time for Vernon's entrance. He embraced Petunia, hugging her tightly, before letting go and ducking his head in a half-nod at Mrs Evans. Lily suddenly frowned, feeling confused at something she simply couldn't place her finger on. Vernon's appearance seemed so different, and she couldn't tell why.

"Vernon! Have you eaten your breakfast? It's only half past eight," Mrs Evans tutted, pursing her lips at him when he shook his head slowly. "Look at you! You're so thin and bony! I made bacon and eggs with those fluffy Japanese pancakes Petunia loves. The bacon and eggs aren't as warm; I hope you don't mind."

With a dawning sense of comprehension, Lily finally noticed what was so _off_ about Vernon. The now-boy, who had been a red-faced man with a triple chin, thick limbs and two pounds of fat hanging off every pound of his body, was _skinny_. He wasn't exactly bony or string bean-like, like Petunia already was, but at least _she could see his bones and knuckles._

"Oh no, Mrs Evans, it's fine, I'm here to work on the Literature project Petunia and I were assigned. I'm not hungry. I think you should eat it," Vernon denied politely, exactly how Severus had done an hour ago. Petunia sent him a smile that reached her ears, and he lifted a corner of his lips in response.

Unable to stand the scene in front of her any longer, Lily gagged loudly, revealing her presence to a glowering Petunia and a frowning Vernon.

"Lily! Don't be impolite to Vernon here," Mrs Evans chastised her, eyebrows pulled in a deep frown while the corners of her lips turned down automatically. "Apologise, now."

"It's alright," Vernon, ever the forgiving friend he portrayed himself as, was quick to reassure Mrs Evans and Petunia, placing a restraining hand on Petunia's forearm to prevent her from launching herself at her younger sister. He gave Lily the most insincere and artificial "kind" look and started saying, "I hope you don't do that in the future, though, I—"

"I'm sorry, I have a weak stomach, so I can't stand looking at things which are ugly and repulsive for long before I have to go vomit," Lily threw a triumphant glance at an aghast Petunia, before holding a hand to her mouth dramatically and dry heaving. Then, she scurried off in the direction of the bathroom, holding in her laughter before she took a detour and hurried back to the stairs.

"Mum, you need to scold Lily! The audacity of her to insult _my guest!_ I didn't even say anything when her freak friend came over!" Petunia whined and pleaded in the living room, tugging at Mrs Evan's hand as Vernon Dursley's little eyes darted around nervously.

"Petunia, surely calling someone a freak isn't—"

"Don't interrupt me, Vernon! I need to get this out. I've been holding in for so long and putting up with that freak Lily Evans for so long, yet she always disrespects my friends and me! Mum, please reprimand Lily..."

Mrs Evans still seemed hesitant, and Lily stifled her laughter again. _Oh, Petunia,_ she thought pitifully, _Mum still loves me more. I never thought I'd think this, but after ten years of verbal abuse, accompanied by vituperative outbursts, I finally see why Mum was prouder of me._

Lily decided that Petunia was one overly-jealous, narrow-minded little twat that she had the misfortune of being a sister to, and snuck back up the stairs. This time, she wouldn't try to please Petunia or try to help her sister see things her way, instead, they'd live their separate lives, without a reminder that they were once the closest of sisters.

"What happened down there?" The moment Lily opened the door with a determined set of her jaw, Severus lifted his head and asked her curiously, setting down his Potions book.

"Nothing," Lily answered flippantly, plopping herself down on her bed and picking up a random book, "nothing at all."


	5. Boarding the Hogwarts Express

Pushing her trolley with both hands, Lily felt her nerves tingling with anticipation as she moved through the crowd on King's Cross Platform. The huge, eye-catching sign reading "Platform 9" glared down at her from its spot on the gigantic brick support, reminding her once again that all she had to do was to run into a seemingly solid brick wall and she would reach Platform 9¾. The thought of returning to Hogwarts, _home_ , caused a sudden appearance of butterflies in her stomach as she fought to keep the broad grin off her face, which, as Lily imagined in her head, would look rather idiotic if anyone saw her beaming, and would not add any popularity points to her non-existent reputation.

The previous day, Lily had realised she was missing a familiar to bring to Hogwarts. Severus, who had somehow not gotten his school supplies yet, invited her to tag along to Diagon Alley. They visited the Magical Menagerie, and the moment Lily's eyes fell on a magnificent brown Eurasian Eagle Owl with gorgeous amber eyes, it was like fate had arranged their meeting. The connection between her and Amber, as Lily had named the owl for her eyes, was the purest of the pure and the truest of the true: it was a familiar bond, in which a witch or wizard finds the beast that will accompany him or her for the rest of his/her life. Meanwhile, Severus bought a female Greater Sooty Owl, which he named after the Goddess of Darkness and Night, Nyx.

Severus walked soundlessly beside her, a trunk on which Nyx was perched on in her gigantic cage. Nyx would let out the occasional hoot, startling Lily and breaking her out of her musings of what the next step in her (still) half-formed plan was. She had no idea where even to start. Should she immediately try to form friendships with James? The primary purpose was to prevent him, Sirius, and Remus from ever meeting that two-faced, stinking rat that was Peter bloody Pettigrew.

Sirius and Remus! Lily abruptly stopped in her tracks, her mouth dropping open to form an elliptical "o". She had been so preoccupied with James that Sirius and Remus' existences had completely slipped her mind, and now she had to adjust her strategy. How could she have forgotten about both Sirius and Remus, whom she had affectionately referred to as Wolfstar in her previous life, especially when they were main characters in her life story too? _I can't believe you, Lily Evans._

"Lily?" A waving hand right in front of her eyes pulled her out of her mental dialogue. She recovered smoothly, blinking once before plastering a smile on her face.

"Yes, Severus?" Realising that she had garnered quite a bit of negative attention from the other commuters, Lily hurriedly resumed pushing her trolley, leaving behind a bemused Severus with creased eyebrows. The brick wall between Platforms 9 and ten got closer and closer, and Lily started to gain speed as her feet picked up the pace and ran. Her Muggle instincts screamed at her seemingly stupid attempt to run head-first into a wall with a trolley, but as Lily got closer and closer to the gateway between the Muggle and Wizarding worlds, she took a deep breath to shut them off.

 _She was so close_.

With a gasp of relief, Lily successfully passed through the barrier without the impact she prepared for at the back of her mind, and appeared on the other side, Platform 9¾. Instantly, her eyes darted to the striking, breath-taking Hogwarts Express, its vibrant crimson highlighted by the comparatively dreary grey of the bricks behind it.

It was like she was reliving her life again— okay, well, she was reliving her life again, but she meant it metaphorically although it did have a literal sense to it. Every year, she would board this ruby red steam engine six times, once in September, twice at Christmas, twice at Easter, and once in June. The nose of the locomotive was dipped in a lustreless black, which, when compared to the vermillion just beside it, looked particularly dull. Lily supposed the wizards, or even Muggles if the Ministry was daring enough, who kept this engine in tip-top shape decided the more dazzling part of the train, the region covered in red paint, was much more important the face of the train and opted only to give the rest of the train a paint job. The Hogwarts Express had been serving generations and generations of Hogwarts students, transporting them to and fro from Hogwarts and back to their families, so if Lily's speculation was correct, it was no wonder the front of the train was non-reflective.

A vague awareness that she was rambling and thinking nonsense did not escape her, and she turned her attention to the golden letters, 5972, on the face of the train. Ever since she had seen the train in her previous life, she had always wondered what they meant, and one summer in her second year she finally got around to reading the last section of Hogwarts: A History, which was dedicated to the Hogwarts Express. The Hogwarts Express was a 4-6-0 Hall Class steam locomotive, model number GWR 5900 and the number was to help with the identification of the engine out of all the others that had been built. Lily had no idea what 5972 had to do with that, but she guessed that perhaps the Hogwarts Express had initially been the 5972nd train of that model.

"Did you know the person who came up with the idea of the Hogwarts Express was the Minister of Magic in 1830, Ottaline Gambol?" Severus' voice suddenly came from her left. Flinching sharply at Severus' unanticipated appearance, Lily lost her footing momentarily, before an arm supported her left arm, helping her stand.

"Thanks," she muttered quietly, dusting off her left sleeve, the one which Severus had gripped, unconsciously before placing both hands on her trolley handle. The hurt and angry expression that flashed across his face, as well as the flare of his nostrils, went unnoticed by Lily.

Nevertheless, he continued his story while pushing his trolley towards the Hogwarts Express. "At the very start, students came to school however they liked, riding broomsticks, enchanting carriages and even attempting to Apparate into Hogwarts, but those often ended up disastrously. In 1827, when Ottaline Gambol rose to the position of Minister, she saw that Muggle technology could be used as a better alternative to the transport problem that Hogwarts students faced. After three years of indecision, a large scale operation to obtain a Muggle steam engine was carried out, involving one hundred and sixty-seven Memory Charms and the largest Concealment Charm ever placed on something. The next morning, the Hogwarts Express was sitting nicely on the train tracks at the Hogsmeade Station, as if it had always been there all along."

"That's a very... interesting story," Lily remarked idly before a thought popped right in front of her brain, "didn't the Pure-bloods protest against the use of Muggle technology? What did Ottaline Gambol do in response?"

"She threatened that if they didn't let their children board the Hogwarts Express, they might as well not send their children to Hogwarts at all," Severus informed her, clearly pleased that she was making an effort to ask him questions. Abruptly, his relaxed expression turned to one of wariness as he narrowed his beady eyes at Lily. "But Lily, how did you know there were such people as Pure-bloods? I don't think I ever mentioned them to you... although I should have."

"Oh, I—" Caught off guard, Lily was thrown off by the question, and she halted. She visibly struggled for words for a few moments, Severus lifting a questioning eyebrow at her and waiting for a response doing nothing to help her tangled thoughts. "I mean, I was curious and wanted to read up about the Wizarding World, Sev, I can't _just_ rely on you for information on the Wizarding World, can I?"

Although Lily's ears didn't pick up on any sound from the black-haired boy in front of her, she happened to be decent at lip reading and made out a "you can" from Severus' lip shapes. She pressed her lips together, forgetting her temporary discomposure and starting to be downright annoyed at Severus' self-thought "chivalry". For goodness' sake, she wasn't a damsel in distress in the nineteenth century with heels higher than her intelligence. They didn't even wear heels in the nineteenth century! There was no need for Severus to pretend to be her gentlemanly boyfriend and exercise his effete charm on her because if he meant them all, he wouldn't have insulted her with that awful slur.

Breathing heavily with thinly-veiled anger, Lily resisted the urge to storm off with her trunk and Amber. Even after so many years, she still wasn't able to put aside her fury at the "unintentional" action. Severus, having no idea how many emotions he had triggered from the now-irate Lily, glanced uncertainly at her, not even realising that she had caught what he muttered.

He opened his mouth to break her out of her thoughts for what must have been the millionth time that day when the whiniest voice he'd ever heard came from behind him. It effectively dragged Lily back into reality too, as well as spinning the heads of surrounding commuters, and Lily was amused at whichever spoilt child refused to go to Hogwarts. Not that she'd ever feel reluctant to go to Hogwarts, because it was such an extraordinary castle and anyone who didn't want to stay there was insane. However, her good humour dissolved when she realised it was Petunia being an absolute nightmare.

"Mum, I don't want to be here with all these freaks!" she groaned and griped and whinged to Mr and Mrs Evans, who were looking decidedly uncomfortable at the racket their daughter was making. From her point in front of them, she could see her parents smiling awkwardly at the other families on the platform, before turning to shush Petunia, evidently flustered and embarrassed by their daughter's behaviour.

"Petunia, mind your manners!" Mrs Evans chided her eldest daughter, clapping a hand over the latter's mouth like she was nothing but a mere two-year-old making a huge fuss. However, Petunia wasn't deterred so easily. She gripped Mrs Evans' hand tightly and pried it off her mouth, glaring at every single person who passed her by.

"They're all freaks, mum!" Petunia reiterated, huffing indignantly when she realised her mother and father did not believe her one bit. "You don't need to feel sorry at all. Us non-magical humans are the superior ones!"

Lily smirked darkly, rolling her eyes at Petunia's childlike impudence. Having never been exposed to the magical world, Petunia had no idea what she was up against and must have guessed that magical folk were wimps or idiots. By the glowers and scowls on the faces of the rest of the magical families on the platform, they were ready to murder Petunia for insulting their culture (Lily supposed she should call it her culture too, considering she was a witch. Muggle-born, but a witch nonetheless) and they had both the reasons and the methods to do it. A mocking sort of pity rose up in Lily for her impertinent older sister, and Lily would have loved to continue watching her sister embarrass herself in front of the magical crowd, but with a small jolt, she was reminded that any mistakes her sister made in front of the Wizarding crowd would reflect on her poorly, as an extension. Hence, the most logical move would be to stop Petunia from further conduct to which no more obloquy could reasonably attach, but Lily was at a loss how to minimise the ignominy it would bring about on herself if she was seen with her own disgraceful sister. She would never be able to wash the opprobrium off herself if people got the notion that she was like her sister, and loved condemning the Wizarding World.

Fortunately, Lily did not need to take further action. A man with neatly-slicked back dark hair stepped out from the throng of people, his two young sons and wife behind him. With a tiny, horrified gasp, Lily recognised the boys behind him as Sirius and Regulus Black, which meant that the man and the woman behind him had to be Orion and Walburga Black respectively. The next second, Lily's inner cunning presented itself in her actions as she inconspicuously moved behind the crowd that was now gathering. Petunia had brought this on herself, and as much as she felt sorry for her mother and father, Lily steeled her heart to feel nothing but indifference, if that could even be felt, and held her head up high like she had nothing to hide. That way, no one would connect her with the family who was about to be reprimanded like children by Orion Black.

"Do you know what you are saying?" his voice channelled his superiority and demanded respect, which did not disappoint his status of future Patriarch of House Black. Lily vaguely remembered the last time he had died before his father, the then-Patriarch of the Noble and Ancient House of Black, Arcturus Black III, but she willed herself to focus on the scene playing out in front of her. Hostility radiated off every pore on his body as he drew himself up to his full height and glared down at Petunia.

Palpable fear was shown on Petunia's face, which was now white as a sheet. If she had a single brain cell in her head, she would have known to back down and admit her mistake. However, Petunia, as she had proven herself to be a few times before, was undeniably the most cretinous and thick-witted human to ever exist, and instead of retracting her statements, gulped her saliva and continued on with her hate speech.

"I— I said you wizards are freaks and abominations! You're— You're like the miscarriages of nature or something," Petunia yelled in a bout of recklessness, eliciting scandalised and angry gasps from all around the platform at her audacity. Shaking her head hopelessly, Lily wondered if it had been too much of her to hope that Petunia would quit making a clown of herself.

"Listen to the nonsense you are spouting, _Muggle_ ," Orion Black said in a deceptively calm voice, a voice one could have used when making an inconsequential remark about the weather that day. An undertone of steel and rage lined his tone as he spat the word Muggle like it was the most derogatory term ever. To him, perhaps it was, but to someone like Petunia who was still oblivious to the customs and terms in the Wizarding World, it meant nothing, and perhaps when she realised what it meant, she would feel offence at the way it was used against her. "You wield no magic, cannot and have not experienced our way of life, yet on your first encounter with our world, you do nothing but step on the Wizarding community's honour and our society. Despite being as ignorant as an ant is to the world of elephants, your behaviour is contumelious and your attitude is pejorative. Since you do not belong with us, go back to your non-magical world and leave this Wizarding world!"

Lily didn't understand half the words Orion used in his speech, but she could tell none of them meant anything positive. By the nonplussed look on Petunia's face, it was obvious her degree of comprehension was no greater than Lily's.

"Exactly!" "Go back and don't stay here!" "We don't need a Muggle like you here!" Choruses of agreement sounded from the crowd, getting decidedly louder and louder as Petunia's face grew hotter and hotter. Mr and Mrs Evans were discernibly ashamed and mortified at their daughter's behaviour, and they dragged Petunia away, back the direction they came. Before they left, Mrs Evans searched for Lily's face in the crowd, and upon receiving her daughter's assured nod, vanished through the wall.

The horde of Hogwarts students and their families dispersed gradually as people started boarding the train. The last time around, this had not happened and Lily and Petunia had had a verbal fight with one another before Lily left for Hogwarts, leading to strained relationships. Lily's mood soured instantly at the thought of the previous incident in her last life, and she heaved a sigh of relief when the fact that it had not happened this time round sunk in.

Her head spun to look at Orion Black and his family when a sudden thought occurred. Following this incident, would Sirius still despise his father the same way due to their difference in opinion of Muggles and Muggle-borns? After witnessing what some Muggles could be like, would Sirius still hold Muggles in such high regard and defy his parents by pasting Muggle posters on his bedroom wall, which displeased Walburga and Orion? Although Lily knew the main reason why Sirius had a falling out with his parents was because of his house, it was the small things that amounted to big things, and Lily speculated that if Sirius hadn't treated Muggles with such admiration since young and had an abnormal amount of tolerance for them considering his family background, maybe the cracks in their relationship would not have been so big, and the snowball that accumulated due to all the events that had happened might not have created itself a path of destruction.

Lily saw hints of newfound admiration in the way Sirius gazed and acted around his father, just by observing him for a few moments. Sirius was still as obvious as before, she thought fondly. Perhaps, just perhaps, this new incident changed something for the better. As for Sirius, she would have to nudge him in the right direction so he didn't fall out with his parents and younger brother, and he wouldn't feel unloved.

The Hogwarts Express whistled, acting as a reminder to students who hadn't yet boarded the train to get on it immediately. Lily turned around to wave at her family, but upon realising they weren't there any more, turned back around, pursing her lips.

"Are you excited?" Severus had been so quiet beside her she had completely neglected his presence. However, that didn't cause her reaction to be any less enthusiastic as she nodded rapidly, a wide grin on her face.

They boarded the train, and not a minute later, the Hogwarts Express began to move on the tracks. Lily and Severus dragged their trunks and their familiar along the corridor, occasionally moving out of the way for other students to pass. To anyone else, it would seem that they were merely trying to find an empty compartment, but for Lily, she had a goal. She was heading to the compartment where she remembered a certain messy brunette, a dark, wavy-haired boy, a sandy-haired boy with green eyes and a rat were...


	6. We meet again, Hogwarts

Walking up to a whitewashed compartment door, Lily dragged it open and was met with the faces of two boys: James Potter and Sirius Black. Remus and Pettigrew were nowhere to be seen.

"Hello, do you mind if we sit here?" Lily asked the dumbfounded boys in front of her. Severus' panicked gaze bored into the back of her head, she could feel it, but she ignored it and focused on Sirius and James. They were staring uncertainly at each other, unable to make up their mind. "There's no empty compartment left, and I want to sit down."

"Oh... But before that, you need to answer a question," James blurted out, and Sirius glanced at him confusedly. "Which house do you want to go to?"

"Gryffindor!" Lily yelled loudly, gaining the appraising look of James and earning herself a look filled with betrayal from Severus. However, Lily reminded herself she had already told Severus she wanted to go to Gryffindor and it was no different from the last time.

"You can sit here then," James patted the seat beside him, and Lily moved in with her trunk and Amber, settling down in the corner seat away from James. Looking slightly put out at being rejected by a stranger, James pouted for a split second, before he turned to look at Severus and repeated his question.

Severus' face betrayed his conflict. Should he lie and join Lily, or tell the truth and risk being kicked out? No, not risk being kicked out, he would be kicked out. Pleading eyes shot towards Lily, who inspected her nails with a casual sort of indifference, refusing to lift her eyes to meet Severus'.

"Well?" James' voice held a hint of impatience as he tapped his fingers on his thigh. "Do you want to go to Gryffindor or not?"

Suddenly, James' face turned into one of abject horror as his eyes grew wide. "Don't tell me... you want to go to Slytherin?"

"Look, there's nothing wrong with wanting to go to Slytherin," Lily finally spoke up, leaning forward in her seat. She shot a pointed glance at Sirius, who was squirming uncomfortably in his spot at the topic on Slytherin. "Aren't you Sirius Orion Black? Hasn't your family been in Slytherin for as long as they've gone to Hogwarts? If you tolerate Slytherins in your compartment, why should it be bad if you allow one more? Severus isn't bad."

After her mini-speech, James' hazel eyes immediately shot to Sirius, who looked _even more_ uneasy and awkward.

"Merlin, and I thought you were alright," James exclaimed to his already self-proclaimed best mate, who let out a dry, humourless bark of laughter.

"It's true, my family has been in Slytherin for as long as I could remember, and it was drilled into me at a young age to join the rest of them in Slytherin," Sirius shrugged, and James' eyebrows shot up. Then, a crestfallen expression appeared on his face at the thought of the first person he met on this train and _liked_ being in a different house as him.

"But... you like playing jokes and pulling pranks!" Severus' face twisted into one of disgust at the immaturity that the two boys in front of him reeked of, wondering if it was worth it to sit next to childish people like them. Concealing a smirk at Severus' apparent revulsion, Lily decided it wasn't her business if Severus left this compartment or not. Severus was, after all, the man who indirectly caused James' death. However, a scene floated up to the front of her mind.

 _"I... I'm just tired of my students leaving me one by one... I'm old and can't restart my life by potion or spell without risk of serious damage to my health. I know this is selfish of me, but Lily, please, use it and change the world. You're a remarkable student of mine and an equally excellent witch. This is a huge thing to ask of you, but..."_

A muted gasp escaped her lips as she hurriedly pressed her hand to her mouth, hoping no one heard that. Minerva— she supposed she had to start calling her Professor McGonagall again— had asked her to change the world for the better. That meant, she had to change the people in the world too, and Severus was one of them. Perhaps, if Severus never went to Slytherin at all, he wouldn't ever be tangled up in the Death Eater and Voldemort mess that would be the next thing she had to fight against. Perhaps, if he were sorted into Ravenclaw, he would meet better people and have a better learning environment as compared to Slytherin. Maybe, just maybe, this was one change she could make for Severus in this life...

Lily had too many ideas and too little brain capacity. She didn't want to think about it yet, but she promised she would deal with it later, hopefully soon, because as of then, she was still in the company of James, Sirius and Severus, none of which knew about the time-travelling journey she had embarked on. Pushing the multitude of her thoughts into the box named "Deal With Later", Lily focused on the scene playing out before her eyes.

"Oh well, I suppose I can let you in," James grudgingly allowed Severus into the compartment, before closing the door after he came in. Guessing that James and Sirius had put Sirius' family traditions past them and recovered their original relationship, Lily thought of her next step. Remus had to be invited into this compartment too, while Peter had to be avoided at all costs. Soon, she would have to excuse herself and find Remus, or better yet, he would find this compartment himself.

The very second Severus sat down, an awkward silence enveloped the four of them as no one wanted to be the first to break the ice. Lily was oblivious to it, still pondering whether to excuse herself to the toilet or wait for Remus to appear. However, the other three boys weren't, and they stared at each other hesitantly.

"So, what are your names? I'm James Fleamont Potter," James was the first to open his mouth.

"Sirius Black at your service," Sirius answered jokingly, and James grinned back good-humouredly.

"Severus Snape," Severus grumbled, as if unwilling to say his name at all. Nodding slightly, the messy-haired boy held his hand out to Snape as a gesture of goodwill. Surprisingly, James knew the standard, Muggle way of greeting.

"I've never heard the name Snape before. Are you a Muggle-born?" James, ever the tactless and straightforward one, asked Severus curiously. Even Sirius face-palmed at his side, while Severus' lips curled up into a sneer. It was a small curl of his lips, barely detectable, but there nonetheless.

"No, half-blood," disgust and contempt lined his tone as the words were spoken, making it clear how he viewed his blood status.

"I see... You?" Lily wished she would pay more attention to her surroundings and stop drifting off to her thoughts, but she always withdrew into her brain. For what was the trillionth time that day, she found herself caught off guard at the sudden question. Internally sighing at her inattentiveness, Lily wondered how she was going to achieve anything if she couldn't even give her full attention to the task at hand.

"Lily Evans," she said simply, "Muggle-born."

"Wait, if you're Muggle-born, then how did you recognise me?" A deep crease formed between Sirius' eyebrows as confusion took over his face.

"I can _certainly_ go to a new world without understanding some of its socially-important families and people, can't I?" Lily remarked sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

"Okay, geez woman," he muttered under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest at her sharp tone. A curtain of silence fell over them again as James racked his brain to find another topic for conversation. He hated silence and preferred the sound of laughter and talking; this time was no exception.

"Did you see the crazy Muggle girl on Platform 9¾ though? She kept shouting something about wizards being freaks," James shook his head disapprovingly while he recounted the story. "She and her Muggle parents were there at the station alone. Do you think they saw others coming through the barrier and followed?"

"I know! It was my father who castigated her! I've never admired my father so much before," Jumping up excitedly from his seat, Sirius regarded them all with a sense of superiority as he imitated his Lord Father. " _You wield no magic, cannot and have not experienced our way of life, yet on your first encounter with our world, you do nothing but step on the Wizarding community's honour and our society. Despite being as ignorant as an ant is to the world of elephants, your behaviour is contumelious, and your attitude is pejorative. Since you do not belong with us, go back to your non-magical world and leave this Wizarding world!_ "

If Severus was feeling ill at ease at the topic, he didn't show it, neither did Lily. She put on her best poker face, which admittedly wasn't that good because she never had to hide her feelings, and stared at Sirius imitating his father uncannily well.

"How did you remember that entire thing?" James' face shone with wondrous amazement and disbelief. All the response he received was a shrug, wink and a cheeky "Black genes".

"I'm going to go to the washroom," Lily muttered softly to excuse herself from the compartment, dragging her trunk out from under her seat, but James and Sirius either didn't notice or didn't pay attention to her. Severus shot her a beseeching look, imploring her to stay behind and _save him_ from the dunderheaded idiots that he regarded Sirius and James as. However, Lily was firm in her resolve and shook her head apologetically. It wasn't like she was going to the washroom. Instead, she would be looking for one Remus Lupin. It was also Severus' fault he had decided to change before he even set out for King's Cross Station.

Stepping out into the corridor, so it could be called, Lily walked jovially, passing by multiple compartments. To a bystander, it would seem that Lily was merely walking towards the bathroom to change (albeit her walking in the wrong way, but no one would care, would they), but to Lily, she had a goal, and she was going to complete it.

She briefly peered into the compartments through their windows out of the corners of her eyes. Nope, not this compartment, neither was it the one after, neither was it the one after the one after. Lily quickly lost track of how many chambers she had passed, solely focused on finding Remus.

"Aha!" she softly exclaimed when she spied the bent-over head of a certain boy with sandy hair and pine-green eyes. Lily held a rational debate with herself on whether to pull open the door and say hello to him, but she later decided that was way too abrupt and random for a supposed stranger. Therefore, she came up with a plan that involved asking for directions to the changing room (seeing as he was already in his uniform), no matter if he knew the way there or not, and remarking on his isolation in a compartment.

No matter how much she reassured all would go to plan, Lily felt a whole zoo wreaking havoc in the pit of her stomach, while knots of anxiety that she knew she would never be able to untie unless she carried out her plan and succeeded. Hence, she inhaled deeply, feeling the fresh air brush past her tongue, the roof of her mouth and down her throat. Unfortunately, it didn't have the desired calming effect and instead caused her to swallow saliva that went down her windpipe and start a fit of choking.

The whitewashed compartment door slammed open as Lily bent double, thumping on her back with one hand while the other clutched the handle of her trunk tightly. A pale hand, marred with white, faded scars, held her in place and prevented her from hitting on her own body while another hand rubbed circles into her back. Lily had no time to think about how inappropriate it was for a literal stranger to rub circles into someone else's back and holding that someone in place, especially since all the blood was rushing to her face from the force behind her coughs.

A few seconds later and Lily, fortunately, did not have a chance of dying from asphyxiation anymore. She could tell her face was as red as a ripe tomato, and she did not revel in that fact. Embarrassment, mortification and most importantly, frustration at her epic failure in completing her task rose up in her as she regained her composure.

"Are— are you okay?" Remus' face was the exact shade of vermillion she imagined her's to be (strange, he wasn't the one being cut off from his air supply, was he) as he stuttered out the question. Remembering that young Remus was shy around girls and people in general, she couldn't imagine the amount of shock he must have felt at a random girl _choking_ outside his compartment for him to rush out boldly and make physical contact with her. Young Remus had also believed that his lycanthropy would somehow spread to others through physical contact, which was utterly absurd, but he refused to be convinced otherwise. For a second, she felt pitiful for this younger, more innocent and scared version of Remus, but she shut it down, knowing that the Remus _she knew_ would never accept pity or allow anyone to feel sympathetic.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I need to rest for a while. Do you mind if I go into your compartment?" Lily asked him weakly. There was no acting, no fake feelings, because, at that moment, Lily felt as shaky and frail as she sounded.

"I— O— Of course, no problem," Stammering in response, Remus had no time to think about whether it was a good decision to let Lily sit in his compartment. The second the words were out of his mouth, Lily stepped into the tiny room-like compartment and slid her trunk under the seats.

"Woah, you have so many books!" Lily's gaze fell on the pile of books at the side of the seats, excitement dripping off her voice as she stretched her hand out to caress the spines of the books. " _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,_ _Microscopic Organisms 101_... I didn't know you loved books so much!"

She spun around to face him, and upon realising his expression was one of discomfort, Lily's cheeked heated up. Her hands left the books slowly and went back to her side as she noted his discomfiture.

"I'm so sorry. I've made you uncomfortable, haven't I?" Wincing at her previous actions as she played them in her head, Lily's demeanour abruptly changed into one of a scolded child.

"Oh, no, please don't think that way, it's just that I'm not used to... being around others—"

"How can that be? Don't tell me you don't have any friends," Lily tutted sympathetically, causing splotches of colour to appear on Remus' cheeks. "In that case, I think you'd better come with me. Being alone in this compartment is _detrimental_ to your health! What's your name?" Although Lily knew exaggeration wasn't the best way to gain someone's favour, she needed Remus to be introduced to the first half of the future Marauders, and fast. As their guardian angel, as she sometimes liked to refer to herself as, Lily also had to ensure Peter stayed as far away from them as possible. It would be best if he was three million light years away, but of course, Lily had no way to hurl him out into space and let him meet an untimely death from suffocation.

"Remus, Remus Lupin," he murmured, almost in a daze at her words.

Her hands fumbled under the seats, searching for Remus' and her trunk and pulling both out. "I'm Lily. Lily Evans! C'mon, go to my compartment!"

"I don't think—"

Lily flicked her wrist in a form of dismissal, assuring Remus it was of no trouble to her, although she knew full well that wasn't what he was about to say. Poor Remus was too timid to speak out against Lily and resigned to his fate, picking up his stack of books with a soft sigh and following Lily out of the room. He didn't notice the sly grin spreading across her face, nor did he even stop to think about any ulterior motive Lily could possibly have had.

They walked down the corridor, Lily occasionally making comments about the Hogwarts Express, Hogwarts itself and the houses.

"Guys, I brought a friend," she announced once she dragged open the door to her original compartment. Three pairs of eyes fixed themselves onto her, then onto Remus, who was standing beside her and fidgeting nervously.

Silence ensued. Just as Lily was about to pull at her shirt collar because of the smothering atmosphere that was thick enough to be cut through with a butter-knife, James and Sirius both leapt up and scrutinised Remus, before simultaneously breaking out in full-sized grins.

"Woah, that's so cool! Where did you get the scars? Makes you seem tough and manly," Sirius marvelled over the pale white markings on the slightly shorter boy's skin, while James did the exact same thing. They ooh-ed and ahh-ed over Remus' scars in a way only children could do. Exchanging disbelieving glances, Severus and Lily shook their heads at Sirius and James' infantilism.

"Uh... I was afflicted," Remus explained slowly, pausing for a significant amount of time before continuing, "with a skin disease as a child."

"Oh," It was unsettling to watch Sirius and James send Remus pitying looks at the exact same time, before engaging him in conversation like which house we wanted to go to, what his family was like, what he thought of Hogwarts etc.

"I thought you wanted to change into your uniform, instead you bring back a lost puppy," Severus commented drily, not even bothering to turn his head her way.

"Oh, oh right," Lily jumped up from her seat again, this time opening her trunk to take out her uniform. She quietly observed three-fourths of the Marauders, who seemed to be getting along rather pleasantly, before turning to Severus with a steely glint in her eyes.

"Don't call him a lost puppy," she told him, tapping him softly on the head before she headed out. Although her tone was light, Severus would be the greatest idiot if he said it wasn't a warning. He'd known Lily for long enough to know her ways of threatening others, and this was one of the times it was being used on him.

He shuddered slightly, crossing his legs as he reached under him for his suitcase to find a book to read. Potter, Black and, if he was not wrong, Lupin were already getting on his nerves, and if Lily wanted to continue being friends with them like she had indicated through her behaviour, he would have to get used to them around very, very soon.

—

"Lily! I didn't expect to see you here," the moment Lily stepped into the changing rooms, she heard a familiar, female voice calling out to her. Whirling around, she found Mary McDonald waving enthusiastically at her. Beside her were a tall, pretty blonde, a mocha-skinned girl with the frizziest hair Lily had ever seen, and a brunette with the prettiest ocean eyes. Lily's eyes lit up with recognition, realising that they were Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes and Emmeline Vance respectively. Where was Alice, though? However, there was no time to think about Alice's absence because Mary beckoned her over to her newfound friends.

"Marlene, Dorcas, Emmeline, meet Lily Evans, and Lily, meet Marlene McKinnon, Dorcas Meadowes and Emmeline Vance," Mary introduced them to each other, and Lily inclined her head in greeting.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, and they replied with a "Likewise."

"Woah, why are you guys talking so stiltedly? You don't need to be so formal, even if you're strangers. Chill," Mary held her hands up in the surrender pose. Mary's eyes darted in between the girls on both side of her, glancing at their strangely formal expressions.

Lily was certainly glad to see that Mary wasn't the timid and quiet girl she met at Diagon Alley and had opened up towards her future Gryffindor roommates (although she didn't know that at all). Marlene, Dorcas and Emmeline were helping Mary make progress at being more outgoing. Hopefully, when third year rolled around, she would be able to stand up for herself when Mulciber attempted to assault her in the empty corridors after class.

"It's Wizarding customs, Mary," Dorcas sighed at Mary's face of oblivion. "When meeting someone new, we're not supposed to treat them like we've been friends for life, unlike Muggles. Instead, we owe a favour to the introducer if our new acquaintance is a person with high status in society, and if not, we are still supposed to treat the acquaintance with respect."

"I'm not saying you shouldn't treat the person with respect, but really? Wizarding customs seem so old-fashioned and _strict_ ," Mary pursed her lips while raising her eyebrows. "I mean, haven't you guys, bar Lily, ever thought of changing your customs and all? They seem like they've been preserved from the 1700s."

"Mary, you're in a different environment," Lily hissed at Mary, "you can't expect them to conform to you, you have to conform to them. I don't suppose you appreciate wizarding folk entering the non-magical world and insulting our toasters, electricity or televisions, do you?"

"I wasn't insulting the magical world—"

Emmeline cut her protests short with a, "I hate to disagree with you, Mary, but Evans— sorry, Lily— here is right. To the unknowing wizard or witch, your words would not sit well with them."

She turned to Lily with a slightly bemused expression, asking, "But how in the name of Merlin do you know all of these things? Aren't you Muggle-born?"

"Well," Lily smiled, before tapping the side of her head in an exaggerated movement, exclaiming, "you see, I prepared!"

Just like that, the tension in the room was shattered like glass and everyone burst into laughter.

—

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" Hagrid's signature accent caused Lily to break out in a small fit of giggles at the familiarity. Several glances were shot her way, but were all disregarded. As the first years all streamed to the boats, Lily lagged behind to walk beside her newfound, or maybe not, friends.

"C'mon, follow me – any more firs'-years? Mind yer step, now! Firs'-years follow me!" Hagrid called out, before heading down a steep and narrow rocky path. Many times Lily stumbled on her way down, only keeping her balance because Dorcas and Marlene held her arms.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid pointed to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. They were so tiny at first glance Lily doubted if they were even able to hold three people at all. After making sure every first year was in a boat, Hagrid commanded the boats to move forward, and with a shout, the boats all started moving off at once.

It was her second time entering the castle by boat, but the fascination she had felt the last time was still there. Gliding through the inky black water was an experience she hadn't felt for years. Once again, she had a niggling fear that the Giant Squid would rise up and upturn her boat, causing her to fall into the dark and extremely cold waters. The last time, some unlucky and mischievous tried to provoke the Giant Squid upon being told there was a gigantic cephalopod in the water. Unsurprisingly, her boat was flung three feet into the air and she ended up with soaked clothes that were kept that way as a punishment.

"I wouldn' do tha if I were you," Hagrid warned a student who was attempting to rock her boat from side to side, much to the annoyance of his boat-mates. Shaking her head, Lily recognised the student as a certain Sirius Black. "Yer migh' disturb the Gian' Squid."

"There's a Giant Squid?" Mary shrieked in horror, curling into herself in the middle of the boat. Her eyes never left the surface of the murky lake. "Will it eat me? Will it make me drown?"

"Mary," Marlene laughed at her fear, saying, "do you think Dumbledore would let a squid with murderous intent into this lake, which all the first years pass through at the start of their education?"

Lily was sorely tempted to tell Marlene to address Headmaster Dumbledore by his title.

"Who's Dumbledore?"

"The headmaster, of course."

There was a moment of silence before Mary, her cheeks tinged red, admitted quietly, "I... no..."

Marlene gave her a "there-you-have-your-answer" look, causing the blush on Mary's face to darken.

After they passed through a curtain of ivy and a dark tunnel, Hagrid informed them that they'd "get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here". True enough, as they rounded the corner, Lily felt her breath leave her. Right before her was Hogwarts, still as magnificent and awe-inspiring as ever. Well, technically it was the same. Light from inside the castle illuminated the turrets and towers of Hogwarts, acting as a beacon to lead their way. The moon, which seemed especially bright that day, peeked out from behind dark clouds, and when coupled with the rippling reflection of Hogwarts, added a layer of mystery to the Black Lake and the castle perched on the rocky cliffs.

The first years all gasped in unison when the entire castle could be seen.

"What I've been told is nothing compared to this," Dorcas' gaze never left the castle, not even for one moment. The other first years seemed to have a similar reaction too. Everyone's disappointment was evident when their "sight-seeing" was cut short by entering another tunnel. This time, it led them to a sort of underground harbour, just underneath the castle, where the eleven-year-olds clambered out onto pebbles and stones.

The walk up to the main doors was loud and filled with chatter. People grouped together to talk about the view of Hogwarts just now, their dream house and random things. Excitement and anticipation could clearly be felt from every single new student, even Lily, who was eager to be sorted again.

"What's your dream house?" Mary asked the four of them.

"Gryffindor!" Marlene, Emmeline and Lily all shouted in unison, except Dorcas who yelled, "Ravenclaw!" She immediately ducked her head in embarrassment.

"Ravenclaw's good too, isn't it the house of wit, creativity, learning and intelligence?" Lily said, to the frantic nodding of everyone else. "Let's still be friends, even after we get sorted into different houses."

Although Lily knew that Dorcas was, in the end, going to be sorted into Gryffindor, a little encouragement wouldn't hurt Dorcas. Said girl grinned in appreciation at the other four, and promised to stay friends even if they were in different houses.

McGonagall's speech came next. Lily hardly picked up anything she said, instead opting to stare at her professor and let the memories wash over like waves over the shore. Minerva McGonagall was the reason she was back here, well, to be exact, the reason she was able to get back here, and to be given this opportunity Lily was deeply grateful. More than once her friends noticed the unshed tears in her eyes (she was quite an emotional person sometimes) and nudged her softly, as if to ask what was wrong. In no time, they were led into the Great Hall, the enchanted ceiling sending people into trances filled with marvel and fascination. The Sorting Hat song came and went and soon, it was time for the Sorting.

"Absinthe, Taylor!"

"Allstar, Cameron!"

"Alridge, Lucas!"

Sirius Black was the only person she knew who was Sorted before she was called to the stool.

"Evans, Lily!"

With slightly trembling hands, she made her way to the front of the hall, feeling hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at her back. The Sorting Hat was placed onto her head softly.

 _"Lily Marie Evans... We have a special case here. A visitor from an alternate universe? Or should I say, permanent resident now?"_

 _"Please put_ _me into Gryffindor,"_ she begged the Sorting Hat silently.

 _"Why don't you try Ravenclaw this time round?"_

 _"No, please, my friends are all in Gryffindor. I need to protect them from Voldemort. I know I must. However, speaking of Ravenclaw..."_

 _"Oh, what's this? You want me to Sort your friend into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin?"_

At the mention of Severus, Lily's eyes darted to him in the crowd of first years still waiting for the turn. She felt a pang of guilt when she realised she hadn't spent the boat ride with him this time round and had instead gone with Marlene and the others. His eyes bored into her soul as if demanding her answer as to why she had "abandoned" him.

" _Yes, I beg of you! I don't want him to go down the wrong path again. I need to help him. I owe him too much already! Besides, he has the intelligence to be in Ravenclaw. I've seen him work and there's no one else who should be a Ravenclaw other than him. Please help me, I can't do this alone!"_

 _"I'll consider it, but before that, your house will be..."_

"Gryffindor!"

The cheers from the Gryffindor table followed her as she walked to the Gryffindor table and sat down. Lily could _feel_ Severus' eyes burning a hole in her flesh, disappointment and anger and a maelstrom of emotions in his gaze. Gryffindors were supposed to be brave and courageous, right? But why couldn't Lily pluck up the courage to look at Severus' face?

Dorcas, as expected, was Sorted into Gryffindor. Severus, to his surprise and to Lily's surprise, was actually Sorted into Ravenclaw. The Sorting Hat really did listen to her words and follow accordingly. Joy for her best friend erupted in her, finally giving her the force she needed to turn around, smile and Severus at the Ravenclaw table, and wave at him.

Dumbledore rose from his seat to give a standard, start-of-year speech. He highlighted the places out of bounds to students, the banned items, Hogsmeade visits for third-years and above, Quidditch and the House Cup. Standard things for a standard speech. Timetables were given out as he spoke. However, at the very end of the speech, he said something about change for the better or the worse, much to the confusion of almost everyone in the hall. Lily's brows furrowed as she tried to figure out what Dumbledore meant.

"Is the headmaster... slightly off his rocker?" Mary whispered.

"If I'd never heard of his great achievements, I'd think so too," Marlene whispered back.

After that puzzling speech, the feast started and Lily stuffed herself with the food on the table. Who was she to say no to free food? She noticed some Muggle-borns looking in awe of the appearing food and asking where they came from. A small smile tugged at her lips when she remembered her previous self acting exactly the way they did.

When everyone was stuffed and too full to run, the prefects led everyone to their dorms. This term's password was "Venus flytrap", which Lily was too tired to think much about. She basked in the warmth of the Gryffindor common room and its comfy red sofas, fireplace and the big rug in the middle of the room, before heading up to bed, prepared to get her rest before she faced another new day.

"Goodnight, Lily," sleeping beside her was Emmeline Vance.

"Goodnight, Emmeline," she replied, drowsy, before drifting off to dreamland.


End file.
